Recipe: Charred Pork Banh Mi
Spicy pork and cold cuts come together for the ultimate meat lover's sandwich
A meat lover's dream, this sandwich combines seared pork shoulder with pork cold cuts and chicken liver mousse for a truly rich experience. Tin Vuong of Little Sister in L.A. shares this recipe as part of a trio of unique banh mi sandwiches.
Make sure to get a good sear on the pork shoulder, so you get a nice textural contrast to the soft cold cuts and mousse. You can find the Vietnamese cold cuts in any Asian grocery store (you can even use Spam) and the chicken liver mousse at most specialty stores. Then have everything ready to assemble this monster sandwich quickly and painlessly.
To learn more, read "Banh Mi, Myself & I."
Recipe adapted from Tin Vuong, Little Sister, Los Angeles, CA
Charred Pork Banh Mi
Rich seared pork, pork cold cuts and chicken liver mousse make the ultimate meat lover's Vietnamese sandwich.
Ingredients
- For the Pork
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 10 ounces pork shoulder, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons red nuoc cham
- For the Banh Mi
- Two 12-inch baguettes, halved and toasted
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons chicken liver mousse
- 4 ounces pork loaf, thinly sliced
- Seared pork
- Pickled daikon, for garnish
- Pickled carrot, for garnish
- Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, for garnish
- Julienned cucumber, for garnish
- Julienned red onion, for garnish
- Julienned jalapeños, for garnish
- Cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Fried shallots, for garnish
- Fried garlic, for garnish
Directions
- Make the pork: In a cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the red nuoc cham to deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape off any meaty bits on the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Assemble the banh mi: Spread half of the mayonnaise on the bottom and half of the chicken liver mousse on the top of each baguette. Layer half of the pork loaf slices on the bottom half of each baguette, then divide the seared pork over each. Garnish each with a pinch of pickled daikon, pickled carrot, peanuts, cucumber, red onion, jalapeños, cilantro, fried shallots and fried garlic. Place the top halves of each baguette on and slice each sandwich into 4 pieces, then serve.