Banh Mi is addictive! And, in my opinion, quite literally the most delicious meal/snack ever. But then I do have to admit a fondness (or obsession) with all foods Vietnamese – not to mention its neighbours. If you’ve never had Banh Mi, this Vietnamese-Style Sandwich – Marinated Mushroom Banh Mi with Quick Pickled Vegetables https://bit.ly/1nr47Vcwill set you on the path of enlightenment!
Vietnamese-Style Sandwich – Marinated Mushroom Banh Mi with Quick Pickled Vegetables
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
Mushroom Marinade
3 large Portobello mushrooms, cut into 2,5 cm slices
150g fresh, juicy pineapple pieces – more or less (use pineapple juice in a pinch)
15g fresh ginger, peeled
2tbsp neutral oil
1 small garlic clove, skinned
Pickles
175ml rice vinegar
60ml water
1tsp sugar
good pinch of salt
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 small red pepper, deseeded and julienned
index finger length of cucumber, julienned (take out the watery middle pieces)
good handful of Tenderstem broccoli or similar, sliced lengthways down the middle
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Sriracha Mayonnaise
4tbsp best mayonnaise
3tsp sriracha
2tsp lime juice
The Rest
(a really good) baguette, cut into four lengths and spilt lengthways, tearing out some of the “fluffy stuff” to better enjoy the crisp baguette and juicy filling
leaf coriander
lettuce, torn
slices of pineapple
fresh sprouts like quinoa and radish
Method
1 To make the pickle, stir together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt, and pour into a jar or small deep bowl; add in the sliced veggies and marinate for half an hour. Push down the veg or add more water to cover, as needed.
2 While the pickles are marinating, blitz the pineapple, ginger, oil and garlic in a blender or mini chopper; pour into a glass or ceramic dish, along with the sliced mushrooms. Turn the mushrooms over a few times to coat, then cover and marinate for half an hour.
3 To make the Sriracha Mayonnaise, mix all ingredients together and set aside. You could use your favourite sweet chilli sauce instead of the sriracha if you prefer. When you wish to eat, heat the baguette pieces in the oven until just warm – 180°C for 5 minutes ought to do.
4 While the bread is warming and crisping, heat a skillet over a medium flame and sauté the mushrooms until slightly caramelized on both sides. You will probably need to do two batches.
5 Slather each piece of baguette with the sriracha mayo, top with warm mushrooms, some pickled veg, coriander, lettuce, pineapple and sprouts.