HEY!
Not surprisingly, "banh mi" is influenced by the French's baguettes due to the French colonization of Vietnam in the 19th century. While folks usually enjoy baguettes plain with a spread of butter, the softer and more airy texture of banh mi allows us to stuff things inside at all time!
Ready? (you gonna want to see the last photo!)
Let's start with the one thing that requires most work on-day-of when you're making this dish: the eggplant paste. ​​
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I'd go for the Japanese/Chinese eggplants over the popular Graffiti ones because these would give you a more silky and creamy flesh, which is the exact texture we want for the paste!
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Make sure they're completely dry after a good wash!
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Be generous with the olive oil when you grill them and use a large bowl to toss your eggplants around to make sure they're allll covered in olive oil. I set the oven to 425*F for 12 mins (they are about 2-3 cm thick!). Seasoning includes salt & pepper with a dash of garlic powder!
This is not an ad for KitchenAid® but I'd recommend this cute and convenient processor from them! It gets the job done with class & sass.​
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Tip: use the puree function instead of the chopping one, it'll give you a smoother blend!
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The seasoning is up to you to adjust during the blend. Perhaps an extra pinch of salt would be better, perhaps not!
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Don't blend it tooooo smooth, you'd want to taste the texture of the eggplant, just like your pâté!
3.3 - The Olive Oil.
Use the olive oil to control the thickness of your eggplant paste! They will get sticky after a few rounds, that's when you'd add a good drizzle.
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I've had mixed comment about Terra Delyssa , my current olive oil brand. I personally use it since it's available & convenient at Costco, but please leave a comment below if you have a good recommendation!
There is not another type of mushroom I'd go for other than for Porcini, especially for this dish!​
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The thick meat makes them bite-worthy and so easy to absorb your seasoning while keeping the texture at ideal condition.
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For seasoning, I used salt, pepper, soya sauce, a dash of hoisin sauce, and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
These ingredients are iconic when enjoying your banh mi. While cucumber and coriander are easy to prep, the pickled carrots take a bit more work but I've got you covered below!
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Prep: rinse and skin your carrots, then go for the Batonnet cut! (a cut that gets you long strings at about 0.25x0.25 thick)
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The soaking: find a mason jar and mix 1 lemon, 1 small bowl of water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Then you can throw in the carrots. To make it easier, as long as the carrots are all soaked and your mixture tastes like a sourer version of your daily lemonade, you're good to go! Refrigerate for 2 days and you should be able to enjoy them!!! Good luck and let me know how they came out!
...throw them together! (don't forget to add some love)
Porcini
Pan-seared,
perfectly caramelized.
Sliced Cucumber
and fresh Coriander.
Banh Mi
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.
Pickled Carrots
These things
are heaven.
Veggie Pâté
Sub for eggplant.
Eggplant Paste
homemade, with love.