Báhn Mi Recipe

Ingredients:

For the pork:

1 pound Ontario pork belly, sliced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil

For the carrot-daikon slaw:

Thinly-sliced carrot, about 1 cup
Thinly-sliced daikon radish, about 1 cup
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

For the sandwich:

2 personal-sized Vietnamese baguettes
1/2 a cucumber, sliced lengthwise
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced in rounds
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp chili sauce (Sriracha or similar)

Recipe:

In a glass container, mix all the ingredients listed under “for the pork” above (other than the pork). Add the pork and let chill and marinate overnight, or at least 2 hours (in a pinch).
In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients listed under “for the carrot-daikon slaw” above other than the vegetables, and bring to gentle boil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Place your carrot and daikon into a glass container. Let liquid cool and pour over the vegetables. Chill overnight, or for at least 1 hour.
When you’re ready to cook the pork, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove pork from refrigerator and pat off excess liquid with a paper towel, focusing on the skin. If leaving skin on (optional), use a small knife to make small cuts all over the skin to help with texture and easy slicing.
Roast pork for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F, skin-side up. Add a little water to the dish to prevent burning.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Slice pork in smaller pieces, toss gently, and place back in the oven to continue roasting for another 15 minutes, or until tender. Optional: if you are keeping the skin on, you can also broil the pork at 500 degrees F for another few minutes at the end.
Lightly toast your baguettes. Slice length-wise, keeping just enough to prevent bread from separately fully.
Spread mayonnaise and Sriracha on both halves.
Toss herbs with pork, jalapeño peppers, and a tiny bit of salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
Fill sandwich with cucumber at the bottom, herb and pork mixture in the middle, and top with the carrot-daikon slaw. Enjoy!