Vegetarian Bahn Mi

Yikes. It's been A WHOLE MONTH since I've posted here and I'm really really really sorry. I honestly didn't forget but who knew 18 credits, two jobs, and various clubs would be so much work?!? And yes, I'm resorting to excuses so you'll pardon my unacceptable behavior. 

Anyways, this is a post that I've been dying to write because of how awesome the end product looks and tastes. It all started out when a friend texted me that he had just eaten some delicious banh mi. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I googled the recipe to educate myself on this traditional Vietnamese sandwich. Within the next hour I was on my way to the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients. Aaaaand the rest is history. 

Banh mi is a French-Vietnamese street-food, fusion sandwich that is made on a crisp baguette with picked veggies, cilantro, cold cuts, a Vietnamese mayo, and drizzled with soy sauce. Phew, I tried to pack a lot in that sandwich. I actually meant to type sentence, but I'm just going to leave it cause we can both chuckle at my typo together. Since I've never had an authentic bahn mi, or any type of bahn mi, I can't guarantee that my recipe is the classic. I did do some research so I know I'm not too far off, but what I can guarantee is that it is freaking awesome!!

What did I change? Well obviously I made a vegetarian version so I substituted egg instead of the most common filling, pork. I'm a huge lover of pickled things, so I pickled my carrots AND cucumber.  I actually tried pickling my carrots and cucumbers with honey and the cucumbers with sugar to add different tones of sweetness to my sandwich. Double the yummy-ness. I forgot to buy daikon, and the next time I make it, I'll definitely add pickled julienned daikon radish! I also added the cherry tomatoes and lettuce because I like my sandwiches to have a lot of filling. 

Also before you start reading the actual recipe, let's take this moment to drool over the pictures together. 

Vegetarian Banh Mi

Serving Size: Three sandwiches

1 French Baguette, halved

1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumber 
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 
2 tablespoons sugar

3 eggs 

4 romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Fresh cilantro

Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Mayo

1 tablespoon Siracha*
EVOO
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Once at desired temperature, place the halved french baguette on a baking sheet to toast. Let the baguette crisup up for approx 4-5 minutes and then cool for an additional 2 minutes before adding the toppings.
2. Place 1/2 peeled and shredded carrots, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Mix well and let sit for a minimum of  20 minutes before serving. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, thinly sliced cucumbers, and sugar and let the pickling begin! Once again let the cucumbers pickle for at least 20 minutes before assembling the sandwich.

4. Crack your eggs, and beat with a pinch of salt and pepper. Make three individual omelets in a small saucepan and make sure to use EVOO to coat the pan so the eggs slide right off! 

5. To make your siracha mayo, simply mix together the mayonnaise and the siracha. It's as easy as it sounds. Also if you want it less spicy don't add the full tablespoon of the siracha. 

6. Now take the toasted bread and cut the full  length of the bread into thirds. On each individual side apply the siracha mayo and drizzle the soy sauce. Lay down the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and  individual omelet on each sandwich. Now it's time to add the fancy toppings. Make sure to remove any excess liquid from the cucumbers and carrots before adding the pickled vegetables to your sandwich. Finally add fresh sprigs of cilantro before pressing the top half of baguette on the sandwich to seal the deal :)

Tip:

I would suggest doing the pickling (especially the cucumbers) several hours before serving. I did mine overnight so when it was time to assemble the sandwich, I was done in minutes.  I made note of this in the instructions as well, but if the mayo is too spicy, cut down on the amount of siracha you add. It packs a lot of heat in a small bite.

P.S. I also pickled onions with my cucumbers just for the heck of it. And you'll notice in my pictures I accidentally photographed parsley instead of the cilantro. Whoopsy daisy. At least I realized my error before it was time to eat!!