Banh Mi Salad

 

Banh Mi Salad

By Snakeyes (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Banh mi is one of the most popular and yummy sandwich that Vietnamese cuisine has offered to the world. It boasts of cooked pork, veggies and aromatic herbs which are tossed together and loaded within two slices of baguettes. The salad filling of banh mi is enveloped by a mélange of flavors, ranging from sweet, savory, tangy and somewhat spicy which can make your taste buds break into a jig. Since you bid ‘au revoir’ to the French breads after starting Drilldoggy, you might consider making it with our fitness bread.

But that would be an utter injustice to the flavorsome filling. So free the filling from the threshold of bread and serve it as a salad. This will be the best way to enjoy the actual, bold flavors of the banh mi filling without any bread crust coming in your way –it’s like having sandwich from a bowl!

Traditional recipe of banh mi calls for a sugary glaze for the pork and an equally sugar-laced brine for the veggies. But this Primal version has eliminated the sugar completely and spiked up the flavors of pork with garlic-pepper marinade. Sweet dressing for the veggies has given place to a tangy one. It’s like rediscovering a new way to enjoy this Asian delight – just the way a Vietnamese caveman would have savored it!

Time to toss up Banh mi salad and munch away!

 

Ingredients:

Serves: ?

  • 1 lb pork loin, sliced into ½’’ strips
  • 1 cup carrot, grated
  • 5 cups cabbage, grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 cups, cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn into small bits
  • Handful of fresh mint leaves, torn into small bits
  • ¼ cup fitness mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • Coconut oil, as required

Method:

  • Place the pork into a medium resealable plastic bag and pour in the fish sauce.
  • Sprinkle a dash of ground black pepper over it and seal the bag to marinate for an hour.
  • Meanwhile, whisk a splash of lime juice into the mayo until well combined and set aside.
  • Dump the fresh herbs and veggies into a bowl and toss them together to mix well.
  • Heat few tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over moderately high flame and place the marinated pork onto it.
  • Cook each side for 3-4 minutes or until it is seared evenly and transfer it onto a cutting board.
  • Slice it into thin strips and throw it into the bowl with tossed ingredients.
  • Drizzle the mayo dressing on top and give them a nice stir to coat well.
  • Serve right away.