Banh mi wars rage in New York City. The media has largely declared Baoguette the best Vietnamese sandwich in the five boroughs. But for ambiance, flavor and value, Banh Mi Saigon in the back of a Chinatown jewelry shop is our family favorite. To compensate for the sad state of banh mi in South Florida, I made a home cooked version from epicurious.com at the behest of my boss and fellow food lover, Gretchen.
A classic banh mi consists of layers, pork paté or liver, roasted pork, lots of cilantro, hot peppers, pickled vegetables and a bit of mayo on a baguette. There are lots of variations, but this rich, salty-sweet combination is a classic for a reason.
The epicurious.com recipe yields a batch of herbal, sweet, and slightly funky pork meatballs made with accessible ingredients like sriracha, fish sauce, and sesame oil. There’s no paté in this version but also no lack of porky goodness. Starting with a fresh baguette (though Cuban bread work work just fine), you plop meatballs atop a thick slather of sriracha-onion-spiked mayo and cilantro, then pack on sweet carrots and radishes that have marinated in rice vinegar and sugar.
I made just a few substitutions: I used garlic chives instead of scallions and sliced breakfast radishes rather than julienned daikon. I also added drops of sesame oil to the meatballs rather than frying the pork in the unstable oil, and accidentally left out the jalapenos (which must have fallen through the cart at the grocery store, oops).
All the familiar flavors were present in the sandwiches that William and I scarfed down for dinner (and then lunch). And while our kitchen concoction won’t dislodge a Baoguette from its reign, it certainly quelled our cravings until we can get back to a banh mi town.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Haven’t tried Baoguette — just read about it in the Times, Time Out and New York Magazine. Sound like I may be able to skip it though next time I travel to New York.
well cone! while baoguette has some interesting twists….don’t think it beats the classics
have you tried baogette? because i have to say, it’s my least favorite banh mi in the city….and like $8 or something crazy.
but yours looks really good. i think its all about the pickly carrots.