RCP: N American banh mi

For today's lunch I was confronted with a fridge full of leftovers, so I improvised a dish that worked well. I started with some leftover BBQ pork ribs, stripped the meat off the bone, crisped up a baguette that I then sliced open. I placed the shredded BBQ on the bread, added slices of avocado and tomato, sprinkled liberally with everyone's favorite herb (cilantro ) and poured over it a dollop of salsa verde. I smushed the whole together and ate it blissfully.

My inspiration for all this, in case you hadn't already guessed, was my favorite fast food when in the SF Bay Area, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches that are both delightfully tasty and dirt cheap. My preferred version has Chinese char siu pork, vermicelli noodles, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and chili peppers with some indescribably tasty chili sauce. I view my version as more homage than imitation.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

Pass one over, I'll bring the beer. Interesting with the vermicelli, none (well, neither of the two) banh mi I've had included that ingredient, but I sure don't object to it. Is it seasoned/dressed in some way? Would be a great way to carry more flavor into the sammie.

Pass one over, I'll bring the beer. Interesting with the vermicelli, none (well, neither of the two) banh mi I've had included that ingredient, but I sure don't object to it. Is it seasoned/dressed in some way? Would be a great way to carry more flavor into the sammie.

Hard to say, Jenise, as the thing is assembled before I set eyes on it. In the assemblage, it's got that chili sauce on it as well as juices from the veggies.

Mark Lipton

I was a big fan until you mentioned the demon weed (cilantro ), but the rest sounds good.

One more, please?

Hey, come by Portland again. We have a "Great Baguette" place nearby that is a Viet version of a McDonald's fast food venue, with bahn mi.

Only difference is, they're fresh, they're real, they're tasty, they're authentic (run by Viets) and they have a cooler with all sorts of bits of things you can't recognize, and a few you can (like dried shrimp and stuff) that you can add to your sandwich and "have it your way".

And more pho places than you could posssibly imagine. Pho is a mainline item in this town. No pho-ling.

Sounds very tasty, Mark! Like the rest of you, I love banh mi. We have a newly christened "Little Saigon" neighborhood here that has a number of good banh mi places. Also has both the Pho King I and Pho King II restaurants. Of the two, you'd have to decide for yourself which is the best Pho King restaurant.