Bánh mì chopped salad sandwiches       

A tasty twist on a popular food trend!

I’ll admit I’m a bit late to the party when it comes to the chopped salad sandwich bandwagon. Maybe that’s because I’d rather spend most of my waking hours cooking instead of watching TikTok. Who knows? In any case, I’m pleased to present my contribution to the wildly popular chopped salad sandwich trend. In a nutshell, you chop up everything that you’d put in either a sandwich or a salad (or both) and slap it in a bun. The possibilities are endless (and delicious)! I went with a Bánh mì chopped salad filling as I am a huge fan of this traditional Vietnamese sandwich that is packed with crisp vegetables, meat and a whole lot of umami (savory flavour). If you prefer to enjoy something similar in a bowl format, check out my Bánh mì salad recipe, upon which this sandwich is based. You can switch things up by using cooked pork belly or grilled chicken, if you wish.

Ingredients

Pickled vegetables

• 1 small (Lebanese or Persian) cucumber
• 1 medium carrot, peeled
• 1 large radish
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Sandwich

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 submarine-style buns
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce, washed
• 1/2 cup (8 g) cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup (4 g) mint leaves (optional but delicious)
• 4 oz (113 g) sliced ham
• 1.7 oz (50 g) chicken liver paté (optional but delicious)

Method

• Start by pickling the vegetables. Slice them thinly crosswise and set aside. In a broad, shallow bowl, heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in the microwave until steaming but not boiling (about 30 seconds on high power). Stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Add the vegetables to the brine and stir gently. Let sit while you prepare the other sandwich components, stirring every 2-3 minutes so all the vegetables get a turn sitting in the brine.
• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, lime juice and fish sauce, stirring to blend well. Taste and adjust to your preference if needed. Set aside.
• Place the lettuce, herbs, well-drained pickled vegetables and ham on a cutting board and chop into small pieces (about 1/2 inch or 1.25 cm). Set aside.
• Slice the buns and gently press open (try to keep them from splitting). Toast or broil just until golden brown then spread the insides of the buns with the mayonnaise mixture. Lay slices of paté on one side (on the inside) of each bun and spread to distribute.
• With a spatula or your very clean hands, pick up half the chopped ham and vegetable filling and transfer to one of the buns, folding and pressing down on the bun to close. Repeat with remaining filling and second bun.
• Serve immediately.

Makes 2 sandwiches.