Little Saigon Banh Mi Sandwich – AKA: San Francisco’s Secret Pork, Pickles, and Pate Passion
If you’re not familiar with Banh Mi, they are sandwiches that originated in Vietnam, but under heavy influence from Vietnam’s French colonial period. What you may also be asking is what exactly do they have to do with San Francisco?
Well, lucky for you, I’m here with a little history lesson. The French introduced things like the entire concept of a wheat based bread sandwich, but also pate. The Vietnamese saw these crazy European sandwich contraptions and made them their own with other local ingredients, and they became a very popular street food.
Fast forward to the Vietnamese diaspora, especially from the southern half of Vietnam, after the country fell to communism in the mid-1970’s. Many of these folks made their way to the San Francisco Bay Area, and in the City proper, settled in an area that would become known as Little Saigon, named after their former southern capitol. Neighboring San Jose saw a large influx of Vietnamese as well.
Establishments like Saigon Sandwich and Lee’s Sandwiches helped popularize Banh Mi in San Francisco, and ever since have become a local staple, made not just in Little Saigon, but in brick and mortar stores and food trucks all over the Bay.
Made with simple, French-inspired rolls, pate, pickled vegetables, spices (my favorite), and your choice of usually pork or chicken, can be found for relatively cheap in an ever increasingly expensive place to live.
I first fell in love with these things when I worked near Saigon Sandwich in Little Saigon. The place was (and still is) a little hole in the wall, but isn’t that where all the best food comes from? You’d sometimes have to wait half an hour in line, but the sandwiches were worth it and were stupid, doo-doo dumb cheap. Might as well get two! Here’s your chance to try something new, or finally find that Banh Mi recipe you’ve been looking for!
Serving Size: About 4 really packed sandwiches
Ingredients:
Sandwich Works:
- Bread (Preferably either a Banh Mi roll or French/Italian baguette or roll)
- Pork or Chicken Pate
- Mayonnaise
- Thin slices of Persian Cucumber
- Thin slices of Jalapeno
- Cilantro
- A few dashes of Soy Sauce
- Marinated Pork (See below…)
- Pickled Ingredients (See below…)
Said Marinated Pork:
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. Pork Shoulder or Loin Roast
- 1 large Shallot, minced
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. white Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Neutral Oil (Vegetable or Canola)
- 2 Tsp. fresh ground black Pepper
Said Pickled Ingredients:
- 1 medium Carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 medium Daikon Radish, cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup white Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. white Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1.) The first thing you need to know, is that not only the name of the sandwich is Banh Mi, the rolls themselves are called Banh Mi. Saying Banh Mi roll is a bit redundant, but for the sake of the recipe, that’s what we’re going with.
That being said, what you’ll need is a solid bread roll to start. Well, not a SOLID bread roll, but one that you can, you know, depend on. And the one to depend on, traditionally, is the said “Banh Mi,” a very plain French-style roll that can be easily found in any Vietnamese bakery. The problem for many people is that one may not have a Vietnamese bakery in their area, so in that case, just use whatever you’ve got.
Even though I could easily get a Banh Mi roll, I actually opted for an Italian bread which are definitely more “bready,” but a lot more pretty. Optics are everything. Whichever bread you choose, you’ll be fine.
2.) The veggies can take as little as an hour, but they do really like to be in the fridge for at least 8 hours to get fully pickled. Start by peeling your carrot and cutting it and the Daikon radish into thin matchsticks.
Get a small or medium sauce pan and combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring. Turn off the heat. Get a canning jar and place your veggies inside. Pour the once boiling brine over the top of the vegetables, making sure they are covered. Seal the jar and wait. Wait until those vegetables are irreversibly changed into their new, salty, briny, selves.
3.) Trim the extra fat off of whatever cut of pork roast you find, as you’ll want the meat rather lean for this one. Prep your garlic and shallots, and combine with the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Slice the pork into strips and mix with the ingredients in the bowl. Make sure to evenly coat all of the pork.
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Coat the rack in cooking spray if it is not nonstick. Place all of your pork onto the rack, and don’t feel bad about overcrowding. It’s gonna get real warm and cozy.
Place in the oven for 8 minutes, and then remove. Turn your broiler on high and let that run for 5 minutes before returning your pork to the oven. Broil the meat for roughly 3 minutes per side, or at least until you get a nice char on the meat. The char is important. The char is sacred. The char must not be neglected. Remove the meat from the oven.
4.) Gather your bread and ingredients for assembly, and if the bread is not already cut, slice the bread into a roll, but do not create two full halves. You’ll want a little closure to the bread. We all need closure in life. It’s healthy to have closure, and it keeps things nice and tidy.
Spread the pate on one side and the mayo on the other. Don’t be shy with either. No, really, slather it on there. You’ll regret it if you don’t, as this is no place to save calories. Cut the meat into smaller pieces from the strips you cooked, and place them in the roll first. Slice the cucumber lengthwise and the jalapenos into rings. I then like to go in the order of pickled veggies, cucumber, jalapenos, and then topping everything off with the cilantro. Drizzle in a little more soy sauce or fish sauce if you desire.
Now, you’re done! Feel free to spruce it up any other way you like. You can do chicken or even tofu instead of pork, which are both very common as well. Put a little Sriracha sauce on there for extra heat. Eat it alone, serve to friends, and it works through all times of the year. Bahn Mi? Well, Banh you too!
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