Banh mi with pork

This porky, satisfying Vietnamese sandwich is a street food classic you'll want to put in your face.

There are many Australians in the Banh Mi Fan Club. Credit: It's Suppertime/VICELAND

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  8 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

For the pickled vegetables

• 1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup kosher salt
• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
• ½ large daikon, peeled and julienned

For the chicken liver pate

• 1½ tbsp (30ml) olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 225 g (8 oz) chicken livers
• 1 sprig thyme
• ¼ cup brandy
• 170 g unsalted butter,  115 g cold (see Note) and cut into 2cm cubes, 55 g melted
• 1 tsp kosher salt

For the sandwich

• 4 (2.5 cm thick) bone-in pork chops
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 45 ml canola oil
• 45 ml olive oil
• 4 crusty bread rolls, halved lengthwise
• 1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
• ½ English cucumber, cut into spears
• ½ cup (125 ml) hoisin sauce

Instructions

Pickle the vegetables: Place the carrot and daikon in a jar. Pulse the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pour vinegar mixture over carrot and daikon. Push down to fully immerse. Marinate for at least an hour. Remove from liquid before using on sandwich.

Make the chicken liver pate: Clean livers by trimming off any white glands. Pat dry with paper towel.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium. Add garlic and shallot. Cook until translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the livers in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Do not crowd the pan. Add in the thyme and cook the livers until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Add the brandy (be careful here because that booze might ignite!). Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon, removing any brown bits. Transfer contents to a food processor and pulse until a thick paste forms. With the motor running, incorporate the cold butter, 2-3 cubes at a time. Season with salt and, using a rubber spatula and a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, strain the pate into a bowl or jar. Top the pate with the melted butter (see Note) and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the sandwiches: Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat the oils in a large skillet over high. Place pork chops in skillet (see Note) and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork chops to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before carving into 6 mm thick slices.

Smear 1½ -2 tbsp of chicken liver pate on the bottom of each bun. Divide the pickled vegetables and some coriander on top of the pate. Top each sandwich with some slices of pork the hoisin sauce and more coriander. Oh, and don't forget some cucumber spears!

Notes

• It’s important that the butter is cold when added to the chicken liver mixture in the food processor so the pate emulsifies, rather than splitting. The melted butter on the top of the finished pate prevents discolouring.

• Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the chops. Do in two batches if necessary.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.