I have to thank Mindy Kaling for reuniting me with an old friend.
My diet in SF consisted of 4 basic staples:
- Pho (ideally from Sai’s, but I wasn’t too picky)
- Some kind of noodle from King of Thai Noodlehouse 2
- Burritos (and an occasional taco) from La Taq
- Vietnamese sandwiches (or Banh Mi)
While I have found (some sort of) placeholder for pho, Thai, and burritos here in Kentucky, I haven’t had a Vietnamese sandwich in over a year and a half. Until this weekend.
Following these simple instructions (namely what to pickle the carrots in) I was taken back to my post-swim Saturday mornings in the city. The basics:
- Sliced carrots–throw them in a tupperware for a few hours wiht some rice vinegar, half teaspoon of sugar, and a dash of salt (the last time we made them we only pickled them for like an hour…the longer the better, but an hour or two works fine). You can also throw some onions in there too if you’d like.
- Sliced cucumber (no pickling necessary)
- Chopped cilantro (if you like cilantro…which I do…I personally feel as though this is a crucial ingredient to the sammie, but again, this is YOUR banh mi, so you do what you want)
- Thinly sliced fresh jalapenos
- Mayo
- Sriracha
- A loaf of soft baguette
- Fresh rotisserie chicken (just pull the meat off and tear it into pieces.)
It may not be Saigon Sandwich or Les Croissants, but it’s not too far off. And it could not be easier. Ingredients are simple, they last for a while and make great leftovers, and it takes about 3 minutes to prepare. And the whole part about heating up the chicken and letting it sit in aluminum foil is absolutely true. Oh my god so good.
So now I am back on the Banh Mi train. Like every day.
For more on how to find, make, and love the Banh Mi, go here.
Rambulatory Ambulatory 