Banh Mi Sandwich

Banh Mi Sandwich (pronounced like Bon-Mee)

I've had these types of Vietnamese sandwiches before (food trucks, food courts, etc), but I always ordered them with chicken. When I tried to make my own at home, I realized that its the strong flavors of the sauce and the vegetables that make the flavor of these sandwiches so good. When I had ordered these sandwiches at food trucks the amount of chicken was very minimal, as if it weren't really an important part of the dish.

So I cut down the amount of chicken that I used (I went from using 1 sliced chicken breast for 3 sandwiches to using 1/2 sliced chicken breast for 3 sandwiches. They were still just as good. In fact, I figured I probably wouldn't even notice much of a difference if I took the chicken out of the recipe altogether. So the next time I made these sandwiches, I just didn't add chicken (or any other meat or meat-substitute) and I was right - they were just as good without the chicken.

If you have a family that is concerned about missing out on meat in vegan meals, this is one that you definately can get away with by using meat (but LESS) without complaints. Or just cut out the meat like I did - and really, they are still very good.

Ingredients for 4 Banh Mi sandwiches:

4 sliced rolls (or hoagie-type buns or baguettes)
1 cups broccoli-slaw mix (thinly sliced raw broccoli, carrots, and red cabbage - this is sold in the produce section)
1 cup cabbage (thinly sliced) or 1 cup raw cole slaw mix (without sauce)
1 cucumber, very thinly sliced
1 cup sweet chili sauce (available in asian section of grocery store)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan, heat up the sweet chili sauce and soy sauce over low heat. When warmed, put the bottom of each sandwich bun on a plate and pour 1/8 cup of the sauce over the bottom buns. Then stack an equal amount of broccoli slaw mix vegetables, cabbage, and cucumber on each bottom bun. Pour equal amounts of the remaining sauce over the top of the vegetables. Top with the cilantro, and then the top buns.