A Sandwich Named "Awesome"

A little known fact about me is that I adore banh mi. Pronounced "bon-me", the traditional Vietnamese sandwich is made on a baguette with pickled carrots and daikon radish, chili peppers, paté, cilantro, mayonnaise and cucumbers. Popular fillings include chicken, ham, tofu and pork belly, but there are many variations. At New Saigon Sandwich in Boston's Chinatown, you can get a delicious banh mi for $3. The place is the size of a closet, but if it's a nice day and you can eat outside, it offers one of the best lunch deals in town. I'm not the only one who has figured this out. The place was written up in the Globe a few years ago. Still, I'm shocked by how many people know neither the delicious sandwich nor the Chinatown landmark.

Somewhat surprisingly, Hi Rise Bakery on Brattle Street in Harvard Square also makes a mean banh mi.

Today I was inspired to try and make my own. My roommate scored three free loaves of bread at our local bakery last night and, while I'm supposed to be eating super healthy right now (like maybe not stuffing my face with bread), I couldn't resist the opportunity to make my favorite sandwich. It was not super authentic, especially given that I did not use a baguette, but it was still an extremely satisfying sandwich.


Noelle's Quick and Dirty Banh Mi:

- toasted free bread
- mayo
- thinly sliced jalapeno, cucumbers and carrots* (the local Stop N Shop does not carry daikon)
- ham
- fresh cilantro

*I put up some carrot sticks in white wine vinegar in the fridge, which I plan to use in the next sandwich.

If you use tofu and sub the mayo for veganaise or chili or fish sauce, this can be an amazing vegan sandwich.