Help Me, I've Got a Craving for Banh Mi

What do you do when you have a craving for something badly but it would take you 40 minutes to get to the restaurant? Every once in awhile, I crave for the Vietnamese sandwiches, Banh mi, delicious meats and pickled vegetables nestled in a crusty French baguette. My mind is working really hard to somehow recreate this at home. I may be able to do this.... I'm that desperate!

A surprising yet perfect combination of flavors

Banh Mi

Baguette
Roast beef, a few slices
Sprigs cilantro
Jalapeño pepper, a few slices. I only had pickled jalapeño in the fridge, but fresh is better if you have it.
1 English cucumber, cut in long sticks
1 tsp sriracha sauce
3 Tbsp mayonnaise

Special sauce:
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp sesame oil
Mix all together

Special sauce. Sweet and salty.
Brush the bread with it before you spread sriracha mayo.

Pickles:
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded daikon radish
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sushi vinegar

To make pickles, add salt to the mixture of shredded vegetables and set aside for 20 minutes. Rinse it to wash out excess salt and wring it to rid of excess water. Add sushi vinegar to flavor the vegetables. 

I made this the day before to pickle it longer. I think it tastes better.

To assemble the sandwich, first lightly toast the baguette and split it in half. With a spoon or a brush, thinly spread special sauce on the inside of the baguette. Mix sriracha sauce and mayo and spread it inside the baguette. Add roast beef, pickles, cucumber sticks, jalapeño pepper slices and cilantro. Cut in half or quarter before serving.

Sriracha sauce, fish sauce and mayonnaise

Special sauce and sriracha mayo

You can use whatever the meat you like. I happened to have roast beef from the other night. Grilled chicken and pork would work well, too.

Sweet, salty, tangy and spicy Banh Mi. 

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