Written by Lori St. Kitts
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese baguette sandwich, often found at Pho restaurants, that is a growing favorite food among Seattleites. It is a French baguette spread with mayonnaise mixed with a touch of soy sauce filled with either a flavorful pork seasoned in a number of different ways, chicken, ham and cheese or egg and topped with fresh cucumber slices, shredded carrot, sometimes Daikon and Vietnamese basil or cilantro.
Vietnamese, fresh spring rolls, also called Summer rolls, yet another Seattle favorite, are an appetizer of rice paper wraps often filled with rice vermicelli noodles, shrimp, a bit of green onion and Vietnamese basil, served with a Nuoc cham dipping sauce, usually peanut in the restaurants.
Here both have been brought together as a cool, yet satiating main dish or hearty appetizer. Serve with a Nuoc cham dipping sauce.
www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/basic-vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham.html
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Pork:
2 lbs pork loin
2 green onions
½ C fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
Salt and pepper
Other ingredients:
Cucumbers, sliced thin
Carrots, shredded
Vietnamese basil
Large, round rice paper wrappers
Directions:
Prepare cucumbers and carrots and put them aside.
Grind pork, green onions, cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, Chinese 5 Spice and salt and pepper in a food processor or meat grinder. If you don’t have either, use pre-ground pork and knead in other ingredients thoroughly with your hands.
In a large skillet, thoroughly cook the pork with a little water (about 3 Tablespoons).
Fill a large mixing bowl half way with very hot water.
Dip the rice paper in the hot water for a few seconds and place on a clean cutting board or other clean surface. Do not let the rice paper sit too long in the water as it will continue to soften as it sits on the cutting board!
Place about 2 T. of the pork in a line about 1” from the edge of the rice paper facing you.
Top with about a T. of the carrots, 3-4 strips of cucumber and about 3-4 of the basil.
Fold the rice paper firmly around the filling burrito-style. Fold the edge closest to you first, followed by folding the ends toward the inside and then roll away from you.
Do not place the rolls too close together or they will stick to each other and rip.
Serve with a Nuoc cham dipping sauce, such as a fish sauce.
Anthro Darling 