Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches)

Hi folks! Sorry that I've been MIA lately with my posts. I've been preparing for our California week long vacation happening next week. I haven't really prepared anything new this week, so I didn't really have much to blog about. Also, even though I work from home and can be in my PJ's all day long, going to our office from my comfy bed just seems like a hassle. I know, shame on me! But hey, I got dressed and decided to post this beautiful recipe.

                                                                          Isn't a beaut?!

 So, like 10 yrs ago, a really good friend of mine took me out on the town and we had a really awesome adventurous day. He took me to an Asian Market (one of my favorite markets, if I may add) and bought me my first Banh Mi. Instantly I fell in love with those delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches. So last week I was craving Vietnamese food. Then, I started craving specifically Banh Mis. I Googled a few recipes to get an idea of how to marinade the pork. The marination is the part that makes these sandwiches the bomb-diggity. Took me awhile but I finally got the perfect recipe.

                                                           Look at that beautiful color

                                                       Fish sauce, green onions, and honey

                                                    Grilling those yummy pork chops

                                                         Oh my word...drool fest!

                                                And yes, I made my very own "special" sauce

                                      Letting the shredded carrots pickle in some apple cider
 (sorry about the broken bowl, I refuse to throw it away. I just can't seem to find another one like it)

Sorry I don't have enough pictures for ya...haha! Kidding! I know I went a little overboard with the picture taking, but you gotta admit, you are glad I did so, wink wink! Well, here's the recipe for ya! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Banh Mi recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 pork tenderloins
• 4 TBS Fish Sauce (Smells stinky, but it is yummy)
• 7 green onions (sliced)
• 1 big squeeze of honey (I guess 1 TBS oops!)
• 1 TBS of sugar
• 2 garlic cloves (you can use about 3 tsp of garlic powder if needed)
• 2 TBS cooking oil
• shredded carrots
• 1/2 apple cider for carrot pickling
• cilantro 
• 2 jalapenos (seeded and cut lengthwise)
• 1 cucumber (seeded and cut lenghtwise) 
• 4 Bolillos or French bread
•  4 TBS of Mayo 
• 2 TBS of Sriracha Sauce 

 Directions:

1. Add the sliced green onions, fish sauce, honey, sugar, and garlic cloves in a blender and blend till watery. Add the marinade in a medium bowl with 2 TBS of cooking oil.
2.  In a separate bowl, add shredded carrots and apple cider with 1/4 water and set aside until you are ready to add it to the Bolillos.
3. Wash and dry your pork tenderloins and add to medium bowl with the fishy sauce. Work the meat into the marinade to make sure every piece gets coated. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. It can be done overnight if you want.
4. While everything is set aside, cut and seed your jalapenos and cucumber. 
5. After pork is done marinading, grill for about 6 minutes each side or until it is well done.
6. In a small bowl add the mayo and sriracha sauce and mix. 
7. Prepare your sandwiches by adding as much of the "special" sauce on the bread. Next, add the pork, cucumbers, jalapenos, shredded carrots, and cilantro.
8. Stuff your face and enjoy all the yummy flavors. It will forever change your life...I'm serious!

Like always my dear readers, thank you for stopping by my blog and hope you enjoy eating as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. Much love to all! 

-Eat, Laugh, Love