Inspiration
>> Tuesday, July 24, 2007
After pho, banh my is perhaps the second most popular Vietnamese food in the western world. Banh my simply refers to short Vietnamese baguette which is normally packed with BBQ meat, Vietnamese pâté, herbs and pickled vegetables. Fresh, tasty and amazingly cheap, it is a popular lunch (and even breakfast) for a lot of people. Surprisingly enough, banh my wasn’t my thing until recently. As a kid, my parents actually banned me from touching it simply because the Vietnamese pâté was normally made from inferior meat (Think hot dog and you will get the idea). To make it worse, the
With such delicious memories for banh my, when I see the recipe for Oyster Po Boy in a recent food magazine, I can’t help but create my own version. The fresh oysters are rolled in dry breadcrumbs, pan fried lightly and served as a filling in the popular Vietnamese-style baguette. Wasabi mayonnaise is added for some spicy and creamy kick. And of course, it can’t be complete without some shredded lettuce, herbs and pickle veggies. When you can go for different types of pickle veggies, the most frequently used is perhaps carrot. But the authentic banh my always include a delicious ingredient, pickled lotus rootlet, something I would go crazy for.
Lotus rootlet has a special crunchy texture. When pickled with rice vinegar, sugar, chili and/or garlic, it also has lovely fresh sweet-tangy flavours. Pickled lotus rootlet makes great addition to salad, especially when paired with prawns. You can almost always find a jar of pickled lotus rootlet at Asian shops.
With all the ingredients above, I manage to whip up a wonderful lunch. It’s quick, healthy and delicious. I can’t ask for more.
My Fried Oysters and Asian Salad Roll
Ingredients (for 3-4 serves)
14 fresh oysters, shucked
2 tbsp corn flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
Oil, to pan-fry
3-4 Vietnamese-style baguette (or French baguettes)
Shredded lettuce (I used the curly variety)
Pickled lotus rootlet, as needed
Asian herbs (choose from coriander, Thai basil or mint)
Fresh chili slices (optional)
½ cup mayonnaise*
2-3 tsp wasabi paste
Method
- For the wasabi mayonnaise, mix together wasabi and mayonnaise. Set aside.
- Dip the oyster in flour, shake off the excess, then into egg and finally breadcrumb. Lightly fried in heated oil until golden.
- Quickly heat the baguettes in the oven if desired. Halve the baguettes and spread with a layer of wasabi mayonnaise. Lightly season with salt & pepper. Arrange the shredded lettuce and pickle veggies. Top with fried oysters, some Asian herbs, chili and extra mayo if desired. Serve immediately.
(*) I chose mayonnaise with less vinegar taste. If you can get Japanese mayonnaise, it will be great, too.
**
I would like to submit this entry to Weekend Herb Blogging. Founded by Kalyn, the host of this week is Anna from Anna Cool Find. Please check Anna site out next Monday for the roundup and Kalyn’s blog for more information about WHB.
35 comments:
Anh, when I saw the first photo I was so impressed - this baguette is so similar to our favorite bread here, which we call "French bread". :)
The sandwich looks delicious and I think one of these is enough to make one's day better!
Anh, this is so creative -- an oyster po' boy banh my! I love both of those sandwiches, and combining the two is brilliant!
Anh, this looks like a wonderful, filling lunch or dinner. I enjoy your lessons about Vietnamese cooking and ingredients.
oh the pictures are so perfect. the lotus root looks so beautiful.
Never cooked with Lotus root,looks yum!! I love the photo.
I haven't stopped thinking about these sandwiches since I've read about it at Traveler's Lunchbox. And yours looks just as wonderful... hmmm...
When I first heard about this type of Vietnamese sandwich (probably on a food blog) I was so surprised because I never thought of people in Vietnam eating bread at all. See how uninformed I am? I'd love to try that lotus root. It has to be one of the most interesting plants in the world. Great post!
The banh mi looks gorgeous. But I have never seen it done with lotus roots. All the banh mi I have ever eaten in my lifetime always had pickled daikon and carrots rather then lotus roots. But lotus roots would be a change from the typical daikon and carrots. But I don't think that it will yield the same crunch as daikon would. Since I have eaten sandwiches with my mom's goi ngo sen and I don't ever remember a crunch.
The more I read your blog, the more I want to visit Vietnam. A delicious sounding sandwich.
So this is Vietnamese Sub-sandwich :) But as Kalyn wrote it was a surprise to me that there is this sort of baguette sandwiches in Vietnamese cuisine....i love food blogs for this sort of info...:) Btw, if you get a call from any food magazine,pls accept , the first pic is so good!
Shn
Amazing, I've never seen this dish in my neighborhood. Thanks for sharing, I'll have to track one down.+
Perfect title for a perfect sandwich! I love banh mi and fried oysters...and I dare to dream of slipping in some liver pate in this too, you know we only live once. Do you think using jarred shucked oysters is okay for this or not fresh enough?
Pat, the Vietnamese version of baguette was inspired by the French authentic recipe, too. With the French colonization in late 19th and early 20th century, we did learn and adapt some French recipes to our own cuisine. :) I can't wait to try the Brazilian "French Bread". :D
Lydia, thank you. It's a truly great sanwich - best of both world!
Lynn, thanks dear. I am not a food expert, but I try to write about what I have known.
Sharmi, you should try to eat some lotus root and rootlet. It's wonderful.
Asha, :D
Eva, I am sure you can find some banh my in Sydney. Like I said, it's so cheap and delicious, you can't go wrong!
Kalyn, the Vietnamese actually eat quite a lot of bread and cake, mostly French style. As for the lotus rootlet, I think you will like the it in your sald. It's really yummy.
bluang3lbby, I always got the lotus rootlet in my banh my (thanks God!). Like I said, the most common one is pickled carrot. Daikon is not so popular if I remember correctly. As for the texture, it's hard to describe lotus rootlet correctly - it has a special crunchiness & chewiness that daikon doesn't have. You have tried it, so i think you understand what I am trying to say.
Wendy, come come and visit Vietnam. There's a lot to see and eat!
Mishmash, *hug*. You are so sweet.
Kelly, I hope you can get to try banh my soon.
Callipygia, the pate will be great, too if you dare to eat it! :D As for the oysters, I haven't tried the canned oysters, so I am not sure about the texture. Perhaps it will work??? But really, just play around with the filling. Vietnamese food is quite adaptive as you know!
that looks interesting - I wonder how a vegetarian version would look - I was surprised to hear you say it is Vietnamese as I don't think of bread as Vietnamese but I have heard people say the bread there is great due to french influence
anh , I've never had bahn...I love battered fried oysters..they are just so juicy...i'm sure I'd love this. AS for pho, my friend and I usually head out Sunday mornings to Vietnamese restaurants to have it for breafast...
The lotus rootlet is so cutey!!! I don't know if I've had it before....
Great stuff Ahn.
Beautiful photos too. Glad you're featuring your own take on some Vietnamese foods. As always, fascinating reading!
Anh, I never saw these when I went to Vietnam. Thanks for introducing me to them here! And the idea of doing an oyster Po Boy is breathtaking! This post is being bookmarked - thanks!!
Fried Oyster...wooo la la! Oyster Po Boy - I wonder which Viet eatery would have that. I would love to try! Yummy!
Johanna, I am actually thinking about making a vegetarian version for this. I have some ideas, will have to try making it.
Veron, thanks honey. I wish I could eat pho everyday for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Am I too greedy? *wink*
Jaden, I adore lotus rootlet. Try it if you can!
Lucy, thank you. I love trying different combinations of flavours. :)
Toni, banh my is considered the food for the poor. But it's so delicious, everyone seems to enjoy it!
tigerfish, hah, perhaps I should open an eatery and start selling this. you will be my first customer, won't you? :P
What a beautiful dish! I am desperate to taste it from those stunning photos :)
daikon is pretty popular here in the states. so maybe it isn't so much in australia. i just don't really like the chewiness of the lotus root too much. i like the crunch without the chewiness. but great presentation.
Anh! This sounds absolutely delicious! I have heard of both the po' boy and the banh my, but have tasted neither...now you have put them together so wonderfully :) Wish I could have a bite!
Anh! what a delicious looking roll, I just love the ingredients. Wasabi mayo AND chilli too?? My mouth is watering just reading about it!
I've never seen a banh that is this luxurious, this is wonderful Anh. I am surious about the history of the banh since it's almost like a Viet-French fusion. Do you think that it come about during the French occupation of Northern Vietnam?
p/s: after pho, I thought that the vietnamese summer rolls were the next most famous one. I forgot all about banh. There are lots of Vietnamese bakeries that sell banh, but none as decadent as yours.
Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog, it lead me here and I'm a bit bowled over. It all looks wonderful and your photos are amazing! Will be back to read more as only returned home today. Thanks again.
Truffle, it's a very easy dish to make. That's the bonus!
bluang3lbby, oh, I meant to say that banh my in Vietnam (the southern version) normally had lotus rootlet in it. The Australian version does not always have it... As for the texture and taste of any food, it's up to the individual preferences!
Joey, I am glad I made and tried it... Now I am dreaming of your recent seafood dish. :P
Carol, you like spicy food, right? ;) I really like the wasabi mayo here since it cuts back the fishy smell of oysters.
Nora, banh my was born because of the French occupation of the whole Vietnam actually, not just the North. I have heard that they have similar bread in Cambodia, too. I will find some time to post about this in the future. :)
Amanda, it's a pleasure to find your blog and thanks so much for all the sweet words.
Oh Anh!!! Oyster po' boys are my favorite sandwich. I grew up eating them, so seeing this sandwich, which taps into your own childhood roots is quite touching to me. And your sandwich is simply beautiful--the colors are so lovely. How I wish I could eat one of those sandwiches with you!
my tummy is growling now. have never tasted lotus roots prickle but I am sure it tasted well coz it has oysters!!!! my favourite.
Oh how I miss bahn my. They used to be my special request whenever mum goes down to Footscray for food shopping. My favourite has always been the meat ball filling but I have not had one ever since I moved to the Eastern suburbs.. sigh..
on the other hand, fried oysters and wasabi mayo.. yummmm!!
The first picture is just gorgeous. The colors on it just pops. I haven't seen the version of the magazine but I am sure yours is far more interesting.
Gorgeous photo! I love how you filled them with oysters!
Sher, I wish I could share this with you, too. Perhaps one day...
Edith, so you like oysters, too. ;) Glad to know!
ilingc, banh my is quite addictive in a way, right? I got mine from a shop in Springvales. But my friend used to praise a particular shop in Footscray that uses plum sauce in the banh my. Can't recall the name, but I would love to visit it.
Rose, thanks. I really wanted to capture the colourful taste of the sandwich here. :)
Amy, oysters are good, always!
ene mene menis, I get a rockhard penis. when I eat vietnamese dicks and popos....I cant explain the taste I have, and with Tristans juicy fits and tits.....you meal was soo good. yummy. I like asian boys
It's true that in Hanoi, there are not so many good "banh my pate" shop on the street. But there are some famous ones which serve excellent banh mi pate and it's quite different from the Southern version or the ones in Australia (I guess the version in Australia is from the South ).
The good banh my pate in Hanoi has the roast pork marinated with 5 spices so it has a really smell and taste. Then you also have the hot pate pasting over on the inside. Then lots of coriander, cucumbers and chili + chili sauce... It's really yummy yet in a different way from the Southern version.
But also you are right, I'm not quite sure about the quality of Pate and pork that they serve. My mum always warn me about that. However, I never got any problem hehe..
Damn writing this make me a mouthful of water ...Hic hic.
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