Eating a Vietnamese baguette (banh mi) is one of life’s pleasures. It’s a dish that pleases your palate with all the flavours and textures; this filled sandwich of sweet and sour pickles, refreshing cucumber and coriander, hot chilli and umami crispy pork belly is perfect in every sense. The roast pork belly can also be used in other meals, such as with noodles, and leftovers can simply fill a baguette lunch.
It is important to prepare all the ingredients before you start assembling, as it is best enjoyed immediately. Traditionally, the middle dough is always pulled out of the freshly baked baguette to obtain the perfect balance of texture – you can save them to use as breadcrumbs, or in a banana pudding or enjoyed with a dip.
Makes 4
baguettes 2
For the roast pork belly
free-range pork belly 1kg, with skin scored 1cm apart
sea salt 1 tbsp
apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
For the marinade
garlic powder 1 tsp
sea salt ½ tbsp
five-spice powder ½ tsp
soy sauce 1½ tbsp
For the pickle
carrot 1, peeled and julienned
lime juice of ½
caster sugar 1 tsp
For the garnishes
coriander 60g
cucumber 100g (about 10cm), sliced into thin lengths, removing the seeded middle
spring onions 4, sliced lengthways into thin strips
red chilli as many as you like, sliced (optional)
butter for spreading on the baguette (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)
soy sauce or hot sauce (optional)
Mix all the ingredients for the pork marinade together in a bowl.
Ask your butcher or, using a sharp knife, score the skin of the pork belly lengthways 1cm apart. Place in a container skin side up and pour boiling water from a kettle over it. Set aside for 5 minutes, drain and repeat. This removes the excess fat (and impurities) to help get crispy skin. Drain and dab the skin dry with kitchen roll.
Turn over and rub the marinade on to the meat side. Then turn the pork belly over, and sprinkle the skin side with sea salt and rub in the apple cider vinegar.
Set aside on a roasting tray for at least half an hour, or up to 2 hours, removing any excess water on the skin with kitchen roll.
Heat the oven to 220C fan/gas mark 7 and roast the pork for 1 hour skin side up, then turn it over for 10 minutes. Then cool the pork belly completely.
To pickle the carrot, put it in a bowl with the lime juice and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Prepare all the garnishes. Wash the coriander, and slice the cucumber, spring onion and chilli.
Once the pork has cooled, slice into 1cm widths.
Cut the baguettes into two, then slice each one in half, remove the middle bit of dough and spread with butter and mayonnaise, if using. Stuff the hollow baguette with the prepared pork belly, garnishes and carrot pickle. Add soy sauce and hot sauce to taste.
Uyen Luu is a food writer, and the author of My Vietnamese Kitchen (Ryland, Peters & Small, £16.99)