BANH MI
MAKES 4
InallmylonglifeI’veneverbeenbanhed
fromapub,butcasinosareanother
matterentirely.Sadly,theydidn’t
banh mi as a young lad for counting
cardsorbeingapartofsomesexy
Ocean’s 11-typesyndicate–I’llhave
JuliaRoberts’roleplease–butbecause
wesnuckintoanaccountingfirm’s
function and ate all their sushi.
Note for Ed:We also flirted outrageously
with all the women, helped ourselves
tobottlesofChampagne,andwere
generallyhotterandmorefunthanthe
accountant partners – those were the
days! Looking back, I think the cardinal sin
we committed was the last one... but let’s
notputanyofthatinthisintroduction.
Ed:Very wise, Matt. Deleting as we speak.
4 long white bread rolls
11 / 2 tbs good-quality whole-egg
mayonnaise
80gstore-bought chicken liver pâté
Ground white pepper
400gbarbecue pork, thinly sliced
2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
diagonally
(^2) / 3 cup (90g) pickled carrot and daikon
(seebelow)
4 bird’s eye chillies (if you like it hot, or
long red if you prefer it milder), sliced
(^1) / 2 whiteonion,thinlysliced
(^1) / 2 bunchcoriander,sprigspicked
Juiceof^1 / 4 lime or lemon
A few drops of Maggi seasoning
PICKLEDCARROTAND DAIKON
(MAKES 400G)
2large(about350g)carrots,
cutinto5-to6cm-longmatchsticks
1 small(about350g)daikonradish,
cutinto5-to6cm-long matchsticks
3 tsp sea salt
80g caster sugar
(^1) / 2 cup (125ml) rice wine vinegar
Forthepickledcarrotanddaikon,place
carrotanddaikoninalargebowl,add
half the salt and toss to combine. Set
aside for 30 minutes to soften. Rinse
andpatdrywithpapertowel.Combine
sugar,^1 / 3 cup(80ml)boilingwaterand
remaining 1^1 / 2 tspsaltinabowlandstir
until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Stir in the vinegar.
Pack the carrot and daikon into
sterilised jars and pour over the pickling
liquid.Setasidefor1-2hours,thenthey
are ready to eat. The pickles will keep
inthefridgeforseveralweeks.
Tomakethebanhmirolls,splitthe
bread rolls in half lengthways, but don’t
cut them all the way through. Spread a
heaped teaspoon of mayo on 1 cut side
of each roll and pâté on the other.
Seasonwithwhitepepper.Divideall
remaining ingredients among the rolls,
layering and stuffing, until they are
brimming with ingredients, then eat!
VIETNAMESE CRISPY PANCAKES
(BANH XEO)
MAKES 6 PANCAKES
1 cup (200g) rice flour
1 tsp ground turmeric
1tspcastersugar
(^1) / 2 tsp sea salt
1 x400mlcancoconutcream
1cup(250ml)sodawater
8springonions,whitepartveryfinely
chopped, dark-green part thinly sliced
3x250gchickenbreastfillets
3 tsp vegetable or coconut oil
2handfulsbeanshoots
2 Lebanese cucumbers, cut into thin
5cm-longbatons
2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
150g pickled carrot and daikon
(see Banh mi recipe)
(^1) / 2 bunch each coriander, Vietnamese
mint, Thai basil, mint and shiso
NUOC CHAM
1redbird’seyechilli,(moreifyoulikeit
hot, or use a deseeded long red chilli
if you don’t), chopped
1 smallgarlicclove,finelychopped
(^1) / 3 cup (80ml) fish sauce,
plus extra if needed
(^1) / 3 cup (70g) caster sugar
1 tbslimejuice,plusextra if needed
1 tbs lemon juice
Combine rice flour, turmeric, sugar and
saltinalargebowl.Whiskinthecoconut
cream, then stir through the soda water
andthewhitepartofthespringonion
until combined. Place the batter in the
fridge for 30 minutes to thicken slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C
fan-forced).
Bringa large saucepan of water to
theboil.Addthechickenandbring
waterbacktotheboil.Coverwitha
tight-fitting lid, then remove from the
heat and set aside for 11 minutes or until
poached through. Transfer the chicken
toaplateandcoverlooselywithfoil.
Rest for at least 10 minutes, then shred
thechicken.
Forthenuoccham,placethechilliand
garlicinamortarandpoundwithapestle
toformapaste.Transfertoabowl,addthe
remaining ingredients and 2 tbs water, and
stir until the sugar has dissolved. Season
with more fish sauce or lime juice until it
hits that sweet spot – which varies from
personto person. Set aside.
To make the pancakes, swirl^1 / 2 tsp of
theoilaroundthebaseofa26cmfrypan
andheatuntilthepanissuperhot.Don’t
be tempted to add more oil, otherwise
thebatter won’t adhere to the side
of the pan and crisp up. Wipe out
any excess oil.
Workingquickly,place1ladleofbatter
(about^2 / 3 cup[165ml])inthepanandswirl
pansothebattergoesalittlewayupthe
side (the edge of the pancake will be
thinnerthanthemiddle)Cookforabout
3minutes,thenuseaspatulatowork
around the edge and slide the pancake
gentlyontoabakingtray,takingcarenot
tobreakit.Placeintheoventokeepwarm
andrepeatwithremainingoilandbatter.
Arrangethechicken,darkgreenpartof
thespringonion,beanshoots,cucumber,
chilli, pickled carrot and daikon, and herbs
on a serving platter. Serve with pancakes
and nuoc cham.
MATT PRESTON.
delicious.com.au 107