Lunch · 40 min · vietnamese

Banh Mi Thit Nuong

Pork shoulder does the heavy lifting here, with lemongrass rounding it out. A Vietnamese lunch that takes 40 minutes, start to finish.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Pork shoulder
• 2 stalks Lemongrass
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Shallot
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 4 Crispy baguettes
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1.5 cups Pickled daikon and carrot
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 1 Jalapeno

Steps

1. Trim the lemongrass down to the pale tender core and mince it almost to a paste. The woody outer layers will never soften, so be ruthless about discarding them.
2. Slice the pork thin against the grain and toss with the lemongrass, grated garlic and shallot, fish sauce, soy, and honey. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight for real depth.
3. Grill or broil the pork in a single layer until the edges char and caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes per side. That dark lacquer is the entire point of thit nuong, so do not fear the heat.
4. Rest the pork 5 minutes, then slice into bite-size strips. Warm the baguettes in a hot oven for 5 minutes until the crust crackles.
5. Split each baguette and pull out a little of the soft interior to make room. Spread mayonnaise on both cut sides, edge to edge.
6. Layer in the pork, a tangle of pickles, cucumber ribbons, cilantro sprigs, and jalapeno slices.
7. Press the sandwich firmly so it holds together, and eat within minutes while the bread is still shattering. Assembled banh mi waits for no one.

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