Local Foods: A Sandwich for the Season

By Brittany P. Anderson

This time of year when it is still spring, yet starts to feel like summer, is one of my favorite seasons on Hawai‘i Island. The weather is a bit unpredictable–warm, sunny summer days are on the horizon and you can still get a few cool nights. This time of year is a balance of hot and cold, which is why the Bahn Mi sandwich is the ultimate food for the season.

The Vietnamese Bahn Mi is the product of French colonization, a fusion of Vietnamese and French cuisine taking a French baguette and pâté then pairing them with Vietnamese Do Chua and cilantro. Back in 2012, I watched Anthony Bourdain on television swooning over the sandwich and the next day my shopping list was filled with ingredients for the Bahn Mi, and it is a rather long list of ingredients. When we tasted the Bahn Mi for the first time, the effort was well worth it.

The translation of Bahn Mi is literally “bread”—a simple word for such a complex array of flavors and ingredients. The Bahn Mi is a yin yang balance of flavors and temperatures—the most important factor to a successful Bahn Mi. Vietnamese cooking is influenced by the five elements principle called Mahābhūta. These five elements are spicy (metal), sour (wood), bitter (fire), salty (water), and sweet (earth). With the Bahn Mi, omitting one of the elements—sweet, sour, hot, cold, soft, hard—you are left with just a sandwich.

Usually, the Bahn Mi will comprise of a meat, pâté, vegetables, and slathered in mayonnaise all served on a single serving baguette style roll. The roll should be crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside—you absolutely must remove some of the bready portion inside to successfully house all your fillings.

The version I created is decidedly Hawaiian with pineapple, locally made tofu, and locally grown mushrooms turned into pâté. If you prefer meat for your Bahn Mi, you can substitute kālua pork for the tofu in this original recipe.

Mushroom Pâté

8 oz. mushrooms of your choice
Half of a 12 oz. block of extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp. oil of your choice
Salt and pepper

Roughly chop mushrooms, sauté in pan with oil over medium low heat. Once mushrooms are tender, transfer to food processor. Add the half block of tofu and blend until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Do Chua – Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon

Daikon, julienned
Carrot, julienned
Rice vinegar
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Pinch of salt

Peel daikon and carrots. Using a mandolin or your expert knife skills, julienne both vegetables. Combine equal parts daikon and carrot in a bowl, cover with rice vinegar, add sugar and salt. Let stand for at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Spicy Mayo

½ cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp. sriracha

Combine mayonnaise and sriracha in small bowl, mix thoroughly. Set aside in refrigerator.

Grilled Tofu

The other half of your 12 oz. block of extra firm tofu
Your favorite BBQ sauce
Sriracha (optional)

Take the other half of block of tofu and cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Place in shallow dish and smother in your favorite BBQ sauce. A dash of sriracha is great too. Set aside in refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to make the Bahn Mi, grill the tofu slices.

Additional Ingredients

Sliced cucumber
Cilantro
Grilled pineapple
Red onion
6 single serving hoagie rolls or 2 baguettes cut into thirds

Method

Slice roll down the center lengthwise and pull the center of the bread out, hollowing it out to make room for all the fillings. Slather on a generous helping of spicy mayo, and place under the broiler for 2–3 minutes to crisp slightly. To assemble your Bahn Mi, spread the pâté on one side of the bun, then load in the sliced cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, grilled tofu, grilled pineapple, and finish with cilantro and red onion. The roll, tofu, and pineapple should be hot while the pickled daikon and carrot as well as pâté should be cold. The mixture of hot, cold, sweet, and spicy are what make this sandwich so special! Enjoy immediately. ❖