Ingredients
Pork Belly & Marinade
- 800g Pork Belly
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 80 ml White Wine Vinegar
- 2 [zest and juice] Lime
- 1 tbsp [minced/chopped] Garlic
- 1 tbsp Ginger2cm fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp brown Sugar
- 1 tsp [dried flakes] Chillifresh chilli also works
Baguette contents
- 1 large French Baguetteenough for 4 people
- 6 tbsp Mayonaise
- 30g [remove leaves] Corianderadd the stalks under then pork belly
- 2 [sliced] Carrot
- 1/2 [sliced] Cucumber
- 4 tbsp [click for recipe] Pink Onions
Directions
Banh Mi Vietnamese Baguette with slow-cooked pork belly!
The banh mi Vietnamese baguette consists of slow-cooked pork belly, sliced vegetables, a killer pork belly jus mayonnaise and pickled onions, in a fresh french baguette.
I discovered this beauty of a meal when I was in Hoi An and walked passed a local food stand.
Me being me, I was hungry at 10 am and I had to try what he had to offer.
However, this then became a regular stopping off point and we soon became friends.
He would give me extra pork belly each time. Therefore, a strong friendship blossomed.
It’s super simple to put together, however, you just need to be patient with the slow-cooked pork belly. Above all, great things come to those who wait!
Other alternatives to the pork belly can be chicken/turkey or chunky veggies like sweet potato/butternut squash.
Get creative with your banh mi recipe!
I highly recommend getting yourself a mandoline to save time slicing in the kitchen and to prepare an even slice each time.
Top Pork Belly Tips & Trips
- Ask a butcher for help and advice with boning, trimming, slicing, scoring, rolling and tying. This will save you time and effort.
- Buy British! To keep your carbon footprint down, make sure you buy British pork from the shops or butchers.
- Rub the skin with olive oil and scatter with a generous helping of sea salt. This will help the fat run out and the skin to gain its famous crispy texture.
- The secret to cooking belly pork is the combination of a gentle heat to tenderise the meat and short, high-temperature blasts to crisp up the skin on the outside.
- Always allow your meat to rest before serving as this provides a juicier, more succulent mouthful.
What’re your tips? Let me know with a comment or message below.
Steps
1 Done | 1. Crank the oven to its hottest temperature (240c) and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, merge the marinade ingredients in a bowl. 2. Place the belly of pork on a tray and cover with the marinade. Make sure none of the chopped pieces rest on top of the pork to prevent them from burning. 3. Next, insert the pork in the oven (mind your face!) and turn it down to 150c. NOTE: The reason for this is to create crispy crackling. This technique also works for roasting joints. I personally like to keep checking on the pork every 40-50 minutes and basting it with the marinade to keep it moist and flavoursome. 4. With a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the carrot, cucumber and onions (for my pink onion recipe). 6. Once you are happy with the pork, remove from the tray and let it cool to a point where you can chop it into chunks. For the killer mayo sauce, simply take the juices from the pork tray and add it to the mayo. That's it and it will blow your mind! 7. Finally, slice the baguette (I like to warm mine up for 5 mins) and build your Banh Mi. Start with the killer mayo, vegetables, pork chunks, more mayo, pink onions and coriander leaves. BIFF, BOSH, VIET NOSH! |
