Vietnamese Pork Chop Sandwich (Banh mi)

The recipe for this sandwich looks like it has a lot of ingredients and may be a lot of work to put together, but most of the ingredients used are things you probably have on hand already (I only needed to buy the fish sauce, which is a good sauce to have in my pantry anyway). It's actually really easy to make, all it takes is mixing a few things together, marinating and grilling. I had one of these sandwiches when I was in New York City recently, at Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches, and thoroughly enjoyed, I knew I had to try and make it at home. Then when I came home I saw what looked to be a great recipe for the banh mi, on Food52, another one of the food blogs I follow, and knew it was time to give it a try. I don't know what was better about this recipe, the flavor of the pork, or the pickled carrots and jalapenos that are used to top the sandwich. These pickled vegetables were a real revelation and will be a technique that I will use a lot, because of how good they were, I think it is what makes this sandwich stand out. If you're in the mood for a sandwich and want something a little bit different, then definitely give this one a try, and you'll probably be making this all the time.

Vietnamese Pork Chop Sandwich

adapted from Caramelized Pork Banh Mi by monkeymom on food52

makes 1 large baguette sandwich

4 pork chops

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sriracha, or other hot sauce of your choosing

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 french baguette

lettuce to top sandwich

pickled carrot and jalapeno

1-2 tbsp mayonnaise

Pound the pork chops to about an 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick.

In a bowl, mix fish sauce, maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, black pepper, and sriracha. Then add the pork chops and allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes and up to a couple hours.

Bring grill up to medium high heat. When ready to grill the pork, allow excess marinade to drain off and brush pork with the vegetable oil. Since the pork is thin it will only need 2-3 minutes per side.

Assemble the sandwiches, spread the mayo one side of the baguette, top with the pork chops, then add the pickled carrots and jalapenos and some lettuce. Enjoy.

Pickled Carrots and Jalapenos

2 large carrots, chopped into matchsticks

4 jalapenos, chopped into matchsticks

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Seed and de-vein the jalapenos and chop them as well as the carrots into matchstick sized pieces.

In a bowl, mix the water, vinegar, salt and sugar.

Toss the carrots and jalapenos in the water and vinegar mixture and let sit for at least an hour.

Eat well, Live well