Name: Banh Mi
Time of Day: All day
Location: Everywhere
Cost: 7,000 - 10,000 dong (c. 20p - 25p), but locals pay more like 5,000
The Rest: Vietnam used to be a French colony and whilst they managed to drive out their occupiers they made the wise move to keep their bread, although they call in Vietnamese bread. It is eaten with soup - which is good - but the best use is the mass of banh mi stalls lining the streets who fill it with meat, salad, pate and various sauces.
The bread is crisp and light and in the nicest places still warm, getting heat from charcoal fired ovens under the counter of the street stalls. You get pork belly, pork luncheon meat and pork paste (all at once). Cucumber is joined by grated carrot and a few strands of pickled veg. Sauce wise there's chili and then other oils, both meaty and herby. I'm not too sure exactly what they are but one local person said they were the meat juices from the roast pork filling. Whatever they are they soak into the bread adding flavour (not that we're short on flavour anyway with all that filling) and then drip out down your arms as you stuff your face. One of the best additions is something called pate, which I've already mentioned as a topping to the Vietnamese polenta in Hanoi. Here the soft minced meat is spread on to the bread before the other fillings go in, adding yet more depth and richness.
They are one of the world's great sandwiches - fact.
That looks fantastic - I had a bahn mi yesterday at a new place that's opened in London (Viet Baguette) and it was a poor imitation. I was expecting exactly what you've blogged, but the only authentic addition was pate - no tasty juices and no discernible sauces!
Posted by: Ann (applelisa) | October 10, 2009 at 11:30 AM
One of the world's great sandwiches for sure. I only wish I was eating one in Vietnam (I've not been). The only banh mi I've ever eaten has been from sandwich shops in London and even they are only just popping up. They look absolutely rubbish compared to those in the picture above.
Posted by: Helen | October 10, 2009 at 05:21 PM
I've never seen them in London, then again if they're only just popping up it's not surprising. I'll have to give them a try when I return.
I'm currently in Saigon and whilst I'm liking the herb laden southern pho the banh mi aren't as good as up north. Less of the oils and the baguettes aren't as thin and crisp, being more like the leathery kind we get in UK supermarkets. I think most UK Vietnamese are from down south so could explain why the banh mi are lacking in the oily stuff.
Posted by: Joshua Armstrong | October 11, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Hello Josh, really interesting to see your post. We are trying to make banh mi in London and it was really intersting to see you describe the soft pate that's spread in the beginning. We do that too! We also do a hard pate that is cut into slices. So it's great to see that confirmation here. Thanks for this observation.
Posted by: Banhmi11 | October 17, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Hi Banhmi11
With all those Vietnamese supermarkets on Mare St you're in the perfect area for making banh mi, I just checked your site out and they look great. Before I left for Asia I was living in Hackney, and will be again in the not too distant future (less than 3 weeks left on this trip :( ), so I'll have to pop over to Broadway Market, say hello and try one of them out.
Joshua
Posted by: Joshua Armstrong | October 19, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Def. one of the worlds greatest. I tried to get that secret sauce recipe from some of the vendors but NO GO. You're right, there's NO place in Saigon to get a crisp baguette like they do in Central Vietnam. Oh, how I've searched. Try this one in Cam Ranh if you're ever up there. http://globaleats.blogspot.com/2010/06/king-mi.html
Posted by: anthony | December 24, 2010 at 06:41 AM
I'll look it up if I'm back. Looks fantastic.
Posted by: Joshua Armstrong | January 06, 2011 at 12:49 PM