3000 miles 'til dinner.

A tasty sandwich created by layering Vietnamese and/or French ingredients inside a soft baguette (two brands below I’ve found in Portland, both from Vietnamese bakeries)  Actually anything goes when it comes to stuffing these deliciously soft rolls  (a definite requirement for the perfect Banh Mi) so you might even consider pate, mayonnaise, seasoned tofu, cured meats or meatballs, just to name a few.

Roasting time - choose:

(1) 4# pork butt:  3 hours

                         (2) 4#  boneless country-style pork ribs: 1 1/2 hours

                         (3) 3# whole fryer:  1 1/2 hours

                         (4) 4# boneless, skinless chicken thighs: 40 minutes

Oven temp:  400 degrees - 20 minutes

                     325 degrees - until tender and easily pulled  with a fork

Serves:  8

♥PANTRY, FRIDGE, MARKET♥♥

1  4# pork butt roast, (or boneless pork ribs or chicken)

10 oz. jar hoisen sauce

3 T. Chinese 5-spice mix 

8 (8”) French soft baguettes (not chewy, crunchy baguette)

Shredded salad mix:

2 C. shredded/grated carrots

2 C. shredded/grated daikon radish

4 green onions, coarse chopped

1 C. coarse chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 T. granulated sugar

3 T. distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar

3 T. lime juice

1 T. fish sauce

1 T. soy sauce

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced (or any cucumber, peeled and sliced)

1 medium hot pepper (jalapeno, serranos or Thai),  chopped or thinly sliced

sea salt, black pepper

♥Prep - pork

Place pork in oven proof dish, rub 5 spice mix on all sides of the road,  then spread on hoisen sauce, using entire jar. 

♥ Roasting pork - 400 degrees, then 325 degrees until tender and easily pulled apart when tested. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for twenty minutes.

♥Prep - shredded salad mix

Put shredded, chopped & sliced  vegetables in a bowl and add sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Toss and set in fridge  to marinate for at least 30 minutes or as long as 6 hours.

♥Prepare and Serve Sandwiches

Remove roast from pan or leave in pan, but discard fat. Pull pork apart, using two forks.  Cut rolls in half, pile on pork then top with shredded salad mix.  

♥♥WAYS TO “just wing it”.♥♥               consider or substitute

*make your own 5 spice mix:  2 t. ground  Schezwan peppercorns (dry roasted until in a small skillet over medium heat until a lemony perfume rises) 1/2 t. ground  cloves, 1 T. ground cinnamon,  1T.  ground fennel seeds

Note: Schezwan peppercorn is a spice grown in Asian countries; it is  not related to black or red hot pepper. It has a taste all it’s own, slightly lemony in flavor. 

♥ Helpful Hints♥

*soft baguettes, hoisen sauce,  5 spice mix and little shredding utensil — available at Asian markets

*consider: cooking pork or poultry in a crock-pot; set on highest temp for 1 hour then turn to low (not warm) or medium

     ~ pork butt - 6-8  hours

     ~ whole chicken - 4-5  hours

     ~ chicken or boneless ribs - 3 hours

(MIL post)