Bahn Mi - Pork Meatball Sandwiches, Vietnamese Style

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

1 lb. ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. sriracha or other hot chile sauce (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

salt & pepper

SANDWICHES

2 cups coarsely grated carrots

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

4 10" individual baguettes or four chunks of baguette

mayo

thinly sliced cucumber (use a vegetable peeler)

fresh cilantro

Directions

In a bowl, mix together the pork, basil, garlic, onions, fish sauce, sriracha, sugar and salt and pepper and mix it all up with your hands. Roll into 1" balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, toss the grated carrot with the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit until you're ready to assemble your sandwiches.

To assemble, spread baguettes with mayo; top with a squirt of sriracha to taste, and stuff with pickled carrots, cucumber strips, meatballs and sprigs of fresh cilantro.

Taken from Dinner with Julie  Website.  She has adapted the recipe from Bon Apetit, January 2010

Note from Arta: I am going to use moose meat hamburger instead of pork.  I am looking forward to the carrot slaw in the sandwich.

Take00:00

Vietnamese Hot and Sour Soup

Here's one of my very favourite soups.  I pack it full of as many veggies as I can.  I use pork or chicken instead of the fish, cause I don't like fish.  I leave out the fish sauce cause the MSG in it makes me feel sick.  Instead of 2 fresh tomatoes I put in a whole can of diced tomatoes including the juice.  I never put in taro, cause I don't usually don't have it handy.  Instead I throw in some celery.  Don't have rice paddy herb?  I put in fresh cilantro.

For the tamarind paste, you can't substitute.  This a must.  You can get it at most Asian grocery stores.  Often in the soup section.  My favourite brand is the Knorr one.  You won't find this in the Knorr section of your regular grocery store. 

Use fresh pineapple.  It is the best.  Canned can be substituted.  But I only make this soup when fresh pineapples are on sale.

I like to pack this soup full of veggies, extra okra and bean sprouts.  I will put in mushrooms too.  And bok choy if I have it.

Enjoy!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small catfish cut into 1 inch steaks or 1 lb of catfish filets
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised and cut down into 3 inch lengths
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 cup of pineapple chunks
• 8-12 okra, sliced into ½ inch segments
• 2 stalks of taro stem (bac ha), peeled and sliced on a bias into 1 inch thick pieces
• Big handful of bean sprouts
• 3-4 sprigs of rice paddy herb (ngo om), chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Thai chili, sliced
• 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, adjust if necessary
• fish sauce to taste
• 6 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• Fried shallots

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat up a tablespoon of cooking oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass, shallot, garlic, Thai chili and tamarind paste and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the catfish and brown for a couple of minutes. Remove the catfish and set aside. The catfish does not need to be fully cooked through at this point.
2. Pour in the water over the sautéed ingredients. Add tomatoes and pineapple and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the catfish back in as well as the okra. Season with fish sauce and sugar to taste and continue to simmer for 3 minutes. Skim off the foam as it develops.
4. Once the catfish is fully cooked, add in the taro stem and bean sprouts and turn off the heat. The residual heat will be enough to cook them.
5. Top with rice paddy herb and a sprinkle of fried shallots and serve immediately.

Thanks to The Seasoned Wok for the recipe.