3 TO TRY SANDWICH FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD - BANH MI VIETNAM, CUBANO SANDWICH - CUBAN AND BEEF PITA MIDDLE EAST

Sandwich - is a layer of savory filling cushioned on both sides by soft pillows of toothsome bread. See how people around the world have adopted and adapted this portable meal.Today we are going to explore first three sandwich popular world wide, the Banh Mi from Vietnam, Cubano Snadwich from Cuba and Beef Pita from Middle East. Learn how to prepare and assemble them. Make them as your new breakfast menu.

The Vietnamese love their banh mi (bánh mì). The foundation of this versatile sandwich is French: baguette, mayonnaise and sometimes paté. But everything else in the Saigon sub is pure Vietnamese. They can be filled with barbecue meat, grilled chicken, tofu or even scrambled eggs in a breakfast version. 



Popular in Greece and Middle 
Eastern countries, traditional falafel is made by deep-frying balls of spiced, ground chickpeas. Here, I used beef patties are pan-fried and topped with a homemade yogurt dressing, then tucked in whole-wheat pita halves.

The Cubano sandwich started

 as Cuban cafeteria food for migrant workers in southern Florida. With travels back and forth, the sandwich got a footfold of popularity in Cuba itself. The roast pork is absolutely necessary for authenticity, and this recipe 
is a great way to use up leftover Cuban roast ,meat from a Sunday meal. Cuban bread is classic, but French or Italian bread can substitute. Sometimes called a "sandwich mixto.

BANH MI - THE POPULAR VIETNAMESE SANDWICH
The classic version, banh mi thit nguoi—referred to as the "special" (dac biet) at Vietnamese delis, includes a smearing of housemade liver pâté and thin slices of various Vietnamese cold cuts. Other filling options include, but are not limited to, roasted chicken, grilled meat, crunchy julienned meat skin (bì), Chinese char siu , and tofu.

Banh Mi sandwich is an example of the French influence on Vietnamese culture. It finds its origins in the salad sandwiches of the French countryside. Those sandwiches consist of a baguette filled with lettuce, tomato and maybe some other vegetable with a little dressing. The Vietnamese mixed that with native ingredients such as coriander, fish sauce, pickled carrots, radishes or hot peppers to create the Banh Mi sandwich.

I stumbled on this sandwich for the first time while searching the internet for a sandwich using baguette. I've been hooked ever since. I love the simplicity, spiciness and different varieties of it.


Also known as Saigon Sub, this sandwich is popular world wide. For this recipe I used beef, marinated with BBQ sauce and topped with caramalized onions, some fresh salad and tomato. I just made do with what ever I had in the fridge. This sandwich is best serve with carrot/cucumber pickles and cilantro.


 Vegetable Pickle

• Vinegar -- 1/4 cup
• Water -- 3 tablespoons
• Sugar -- 1 tablespoon
• Salt -- 1 teaspoon
• Carrot, julienne or grated -- 1
• Daikon, julienne or grated -- 1/4 pound

Sandwich

• Small baguettes -- 4
• Mayonnaise -- 1/4 cup
• Pork, chicken, tofu or other filling (see variations) -- about 1 pound
• Cucumber, thinly sliced -- 1/2
• Cilantro -- 1/2 bunch
• Serrano or jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (optional) -- 2 to 3
• Soy sauce -- to taste

PREPARATIONS

1. Stir the vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Add the carrot and daikon, mix well and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well before using on sandwiches.
2. Slice the baguettes open lengthwise, leaving one side of the bread as a hinge. Open the bread up and remove a little of the inside to hollow out a space.
3. Spread the inside of each bagette with mayo. Add layers of meat, marinated carrot and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro sprigs and chile peppers. Sprinkle with soy sauce and serve.

Variations

• The Vietnamese use a small, individual-sized baguette that is made with a mixture of wheat and rice flours. This combination makes the bread extra light with a crispy crust. You can cut a traditional baguette into smaller sizes for your banh mi. You should get about three sandwiches per baguette.
• Meat butt, partially frozen, then thinly sliced -- 1 pound
• Shallots or scallions, minced -- 3
• Garlic, minced -- 2 cloves
• Thai or serrano chile peppers, minced -- 1-3
• Sugar -- 2 teaspoons
• Fish sauce -- 2 tablespoons
• Lime, juice only -- 1
• Salt and pepper -- to taste

PREPARATIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together the meat, shallots or scallions, garlic, chile peppers, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or wok over medium-high flame. Remove the meat from its marinade and sauté quickly until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

.

• Ga Nuong: grilled chicken. Follow the recipe for barbecue meat substituting boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat.
• Chay: vegetarian; use deep-fried tofu.
• Trung Chien: use scrambled eggs. Popular for breakfast.
• Xiu Mai:  beef meatballs with a sweet tomato sauce.
• Paté: spread paté on the bread.
• Add thinly sliced onions. Use other fresh herbs like Thai basil or mint.
• Mix a little chili sambal in with the mayonnaise for some heat.

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Entry kali ini kita akan belajar mengenali sandwich-sandwich yang terkenal di seluruh dunia. Perlu berlajar membuatkan kerana bukan semua sandwich boleh dibeli begitu aje, lebih-lebih bab soal halal-haram, seperti Banh Mi, sandwich terkenal dari Vietnam. Banyak saya membaca tentangnya malah ketika berkunjung ke Vietnam, tidak dapat mencubanya kerana kebanyakan yang dijual adalah yang tidak halal, so saya belajar membuatnya dan buat sendiri. Sebenarnya terdapat banyak lagi jenis sandwich yang menjadi kegemaran ramai tapi untuk entry ini saya hanya focus kepada sandwich terkenal dari Vietnam, Cuba dan Timur Tengah. Insyallah di entry yang akan datang akan saya masukkan sandwich-sandwich lain.

Menarik tentang sandwich ini, setiap negara memggunakan "roti" yang tersendiri, bahan-bahan inti sandwich lebih kurang sama, daging, ayam, tuna, telur dan kekacang. Sayur-sayuran dan salad pula juga sama, timun, karot, salad, bawang, daun ketumbar begitu juga dari segi sosnya, mayo, mustard, cili sos, tomato, black pepper dan sebagainya.

Membuatnya mudah, memakannya enak dan yang penting kebanyakkan sandwich ini tidak banyak kerenah, menggunakan apa sahaja bahan yang ada dalam stok kita. SELAMAT MENCUBA

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Next Post - Cubano Sandwich

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