LEMONGRASS CHICKEN BANH MI

Last night we had a Lemongrass chicken Banh Mi. It was a mixture of a recipe that I found online, and one from Neil Perry's Everything I love to Cook cookbook. It was scrumptious! Everything worked really well, except for the lemongrass chilli sauce, which got stuck together and I had to add some water to save it. Will have to experiment next time I make it. We haven't been eating much bread lately to follow our low carb CSIRO diet, and therefore, our tastebuds were singing with pleasure while eating this Vietnamese style sandwich!! Will certainly made it again for sure 😋🥰!!

Ingredients

Carrot & daikon salad:
2 medium carrots
(julienned)
1 cup daikon radish (julienned)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Chicken & Marinade:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, (divided)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
2 shallots (peeled)
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks fresh lemongrass (cut into pieces)
2 teaspoons lime zest
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Lemongrass chilli sauce:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 lemongrass stalks, tender inner stems only, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp mild chilli flakes

1 Tbsp caster sugar

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 Tbsp kecap manis

To assemble the sandwiches:
2 crisp rolls

100gr good-quality pâté

1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into thin slices or battons

40g Kewpie mayonnaise
sprigs of coriander

Method:

Start by preparing the carrot and daikon. Add the julienned carrots and daikon to a large bowl and toss in the sugar, salt, vinegar and sesame oil. Set aside for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Then prepare the chicken. In the bowl of a food processor, add 2 tablespoons oil, the fish sauce, oyster sauce, pepper flakes, sugar, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and lime zest. Process until smooth. Add to a bowl, along with the chicken, and toss to coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover, transfer to the fridge, and marinate for 1-4 hours.

For the lemongrass chilli sauce, put the oil into a small frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the lemongrass and stir-fry until crispy and golden. Add the chopped chilli and garlic and continue to stir-fry until soft and beginning to brown. Add the sesame seeds and chilli flakes and stir-fry briefly, then add the sugar and cook until it starts to caramelise. Finally, add the fish sauce and kecap manis and cook for a further 5 minuts. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container and refrigerat until required.

To cook the chicken, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside on a plate. 

To assemble the sandwiches, cut the rolls in half and start building: spread the bottom halves with pâté.

Top with slices of lemongrass chicken and drizzle with lemongrass chilli sauce. 

Next, add some cucumber slices and pickled carrot and daikon. 

Top with the coriander, then spread the top halves with mayonnaise. 

Place on plates, and serve.

Serves 2.