Banh Mi with Grilled Pork

Pictured right

This is great for breakfast or lunch. If you are not a pork fan you can swap it out for thinly sliced beef, chicken or firm tofu. The pickles can be prepared the night before.

FOR THE PORK

200g pork loin, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 cloves garlic

3 spring onions, sliced diagonally

2 teaspoons sweet ASB sauce Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PICKLES

3 tablespoons white or rice vinegar

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

30g carrot, julienned

60g daikon, julienned

Few slices of fresh red chilli (optional)

TO ASSEMBLE

2 baguettes

Mayonnaise

1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced diagonally

2 handfuls fresh coriander Sriracha (chilli sauce)

Thinly slice the pork. Place fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, spring onion, ASB sauce and pepper in a food processor and blitz together (alternatively, chop garlic and spring onion finely and mix with other ingredients). Mix with pork and marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Meantime, make pickles. Put vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a glass bowl and mix well until sugar dissolves (you can shorten the process by microwaving the mixture for 30 seconds). Add carrots, daikon and chilli if using. Set aside to pickle for up to 1 hour.

Place a grill pan or lightly oiled frying pan over high heat. Fry pork until cooked though, 2-3 minutes each side.

To assemble banh mi, split baguettes and spread generously with mayonnaise. Place pork, pickled vegetables (liquid squeezed out), cucumber and coriander inside baguettes. Spread sriracha sauce on top and serve. Makes 2 baguettes