Bánh mì

Here's something that has become really popular lately. So of course, we had to try making it.

Banh mi with ham

Bánh mì (banh mi), if you're not familiar with it, is a Vietnamese sandwich, similar to a sub, but with Vietnamese ingredients. Here's a good intro on Wikipedia.

Banh mi with tofu

These are often available in your local china town, and are usually very cheap. Either buy one for two dollars or buy ten and get one free! Our version is larger than the typical purchased version, so it will cost more.

There are many ways to make it. Here's our favourite:

Ingredients

• A bun. We use a hoagie-style bun, which is smaller than the typical submarine sandwich bun. Fresh is best, of course. Some people remove the bread from the inside of the roll, leaving only the crust
• A spread for the inside of the bun. Pâté (or pate) is traditional, although mayo or butter are good alternatives. Have mayo and pate at the same time to be decadent.
• There's a variety of meat. Vietnamese pepper ham (see photo) is a traditional choice , although we've used Tuscan ham, which also contains pepper, from the deli in the grocery store. Other good choices are:
• Eggs, fried or scrambled
• Barbecue chicken
• Sardines
• Marinated tofu (See below)
• Carrot
• Lo bok (aka white carrot). This is similar to a daikon radish.
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar
• 250 ml (1 cup) rice or white vinegar
• English cucumber, sliced into thick matchsticks
• Green onions, sliced into matchsticks
• Coriander (aka cilantro), leaves and stems
• A Thai bird chili or two, optional. One for the carrot and lo bok pickles and another one for sandwich topping.
• Ground black pepper for seasoning
  

Preparation

For pickled carrots and lo bok:

1. Slice carrot and lo bok into thick matchsticks
2. Finely chop a thai bird chil
3. Mix the sugar and vinegar
   
4. Add the carrot, lo bok, and chili to the liquid mixture and refrigerate overnight.

For tofu filling:

• 500 g (1 lb) extra firm tofu
• ground black pepper
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) cayenne
• 5 ml (1 tsp) dry mustard
• 5 ml (1 tsp) grated or ground ginger
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) minced chives

1. Slice the tofu into 8 slabs.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients and put into a large, low dish
3. Add the tofu and marinate, turning often for 2 hours
4. Fry the tofu to brown it

Instructions

To assemble the sandwich. Put out the ingredients on the table and everyone makes their own.

1. Slice open the roll and toast it
2. Spread the roll with the pate or mayo or butter
3. Add the meat or tofu and veggies to your liking. Don't forget to cut up another chili and add it here.

And enjoy. Bow-Tie Calico approves of the toasted bun. And more.

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Muffins

This is another favourite of ours.  It takes a little bit of time to prepare, but is oh-so-dee-lish.  We generally try to stick to having it for special occasions only, as there are quite a few calories in one of these.

Some of us may be familiar with this type of breakfast treat, from one or more of the American fast-food chains. Is this version better?  You decide.

This is not really the type of dish that needs a recipe, but it's amazing how many people have not thought of making it.  So, in the best tradition of stating the obvious, here we go.


Ingredients for each muffin

• an English muffin
• an egg
• a slice or two of bacon.  Back bacon (aka Canadian bacon) is good too, and a slice of ham is another option.  Or skip the meat altogether if that's your thing.
• A slice of cheese.  Swiss is good, but any other "meltable" cheese is fine, too.

Directions

1. Cook the bacon. It should be put into a cold pan and cooked slowly until perfection.   For best results, it should be chewy and not very crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.  Wipe out the pan and return it to the stove for the next step.
2. Fry the eggs.  This can be done with a hotter pan than the bacon.  Partway through cooking, flip them over to help cook the yolk until it's just hard.  A minute or so before the eggs are done, top it with the slice of cheese so it melts just a bit.
3. Optional: put some herbs and spices on the egg when it's first put into the pan.  We like freshly ground black pepper and dried basil.  But other flavours are good, too.  A little bit of cumin goes especially good with eggs.
4. While the eggs are cooking, toast the muffins.
5. Assemble the muffin.  Stack the egg and cheese on the muffin and top with bacon.

Enjoy.  You'll see why we think that this is a treat and loaded with calories because, really, who can eat just one?  We challenge you to try.

Even Bow-Tie Calico approves!