Picnic loaf bánh mì

We have supersized the traditional Vietnamese sandwich so that no one at the picnic gets lunch FOMO. Sarnie shops don’t have anything on this combo of char sui-style pork, classic pickles, fresh veg, herbs and creamy avocado.

1 HOUR + MARINATING + CHILLING | SERVES 6 8 | EASY |

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

chinese five-spice ¼ tsp

soft light brown sugar 3 tbsp

hoisin sauce 3 tbsp

soy sauce 2 tbsp

tomato purée 1½ tbsp

toasted sesame oil 2 tsp

pork tenderloin 450g

mooli (daikon) 300g, peeled

carrots 2, peeled

granulated sugar 50g, plus 1 tbsp

white vinegar 275ml

round cob loaf 1 (about 400g)

mayonnaise 4 tbsp

avocado 1/2, thinly sliced

cucumber ¼, sliced into 18 rounds

red chilli 1, deseeded and thinly sliced

mint leaves a small handful, roughly chopped

coriander a small handful of leaves, roughly chopped

fish sauce ½ tsp

1 In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients, seasoning with black pepper. Cut off any excess fat from the tenderloin, slice into 1cm-thick pieces and put in a large bowl. Pour in half the marinade, mix well with your hands to coat. Cover and transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight. Cover and chill the remaining marinade until needed.

2 Meanwhile, slice the daikon and carrots into sticks (about 6cm long and 1/2cm wide). Put in a large bowl and sprinkle over 1 tbsp of granulated sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Briefly massage the ingredients together then leave for 15 minutes until the sugar and salt have dissolved and the vegetables are pliable enough to bend without breaking. Drain, then put the veg into two jars. Combine the remaining sugar and vinegar with 225ml of water in a jug and pour into the vegetable jars. Give the jars a brief shake and then transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour or until needed.

3 Put a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Cook the pork (you will need to do this in three batches) for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked through and caramelised. Towards the end of the cooking time, baste the pork pieces with the left-over marinade and transfer to a plate. Once all the pork has been cooked, cover with foil and leave to cool completely.

4 Using a serrated knife, horizontally slice the top off the cobb loaf and set aside. Scoop out the middle of the loaf, leaving an edge of about 1cm so the shell isn’t too thin. Spread the mayonnaise around the base and sides of the loaf, and a little to the underside of the lid. Add a few slices of avocado, mash gently with a fork and season. Follow up with a layer of the pork, a few tbsps of the veg pickle, cucumber slices and a scattering of chilli and fresh herbs. Sprinkle over half the fish sauce. Repeat with the avocado (no need to mash this time), seasoning again, pork, pickle, cucumber, chilli and fresh herbs. Sprinkle over the remaining fish sauce. Replace the lid and wrap the entire loaf tightly. Transfer to the fridge and leave for a few hours, or overnight, before serving.

PER SERVING 8 327 kcals | fat 10.5G saturates 1.3G | carbs 40.7G | sugars 18.9G fibre 2.7G | protein 16G | salt 1.9G