Gourmandiary, August 2005
Vietnamese Picnic on the Beach
Just because you're headed to the beach for the day doesn't mean you are
doomed to eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and potato chips for lunch. If
you are up to about 15 minutes of prep work before you hit the road, Vietnamese
subs are a great lunch. Follow the simple prep steps below to turn your next
beach day into a Banh Mi beach day.
What is Banh Mi?
This sub sandwich is an interesting
intersection of the French and
Vietnamese food cultures.
The French Part:
The Vietnamese Part:
- The Cilantro
- The Daikon Radish
- The sweet and spicy fish-sauce
dressing, Nuoc Cham.
When it all comes together, you'll have a
sandwich like none you have ever tasted
before. You'll pant with pleasure then
shout out, "This is scrumtrulecent!"

The Recipe
Sandwich Ingredients:
- A Sandwich sized sub roll.
- A variety of Vietnamese lunch meats. (If there isn't a good Asian market
nearby you can use Ham and Turkey).
- Pate, any kind with liver will do.
- 1 Daikon Radish
- 2 Carrots
- Mayo
Nuoc Cham Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice w/pulp (get this from a real lime please).
- 1/2 Teaspoon of chile paste (you'll find it near the fish sauce in the Asian
aisle).
- 1/3 Cup warm water.
Before you go to the beach:
-Julianne the daikon and carrots and place in container with 1 tablespoon of salt
and enough water to cover.
-Next, make the Nuoc Cham sauce. Combine all ingredients and swish around
until the sugar dissolves in the warm water.
Assembly:
-Slice the bread and spread with mayo on the top half and pate on the bottom
half.
-Throw three slices of lunch meat on the sub.
-Add a hand full of daikon and carrot from their brine.
-Don't be shy with the cilantro (see below)
-Give everything a splash of Nuoc Cham
Open wide and consume with gusto! Tough guys should note that fresh
chopped hot pepper is often an option when buying these over-the-counter.
Feel free to add them on your own to really heat up your beach picnic, but
beware, sea water is not very thirst quenching. Enjoy!

Eat thoughtfully for full pleasure!
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