Sausage Bánh mì

I'm all about skimming the internet in order to find the most authentic, traditional recipes you can -because it's often traditional for a reason. But sometimes, your girl just wants to have fun ! I needed to use leftover sausages and mayo from a barbecue with friends. I also happened to have pickled carrot and radishes lying in the fridge, that I made for a Bò bún recipe. Then it dawned on me. Of course ! Let's make Bánh mìs ! I always keep some French baguette in the freezer, so there was nothing extra I needed to buy. Bánh mì is one of my favourite sandwiches : my companion and I are fond of it. We order one on a monthly basis. We once queued for 30 minutes to get, supposedly, one of the best Bánh mìs in town -which turned out quite disappointing, anyway. These sausages are an easy way to replicate the porky flavour of the traditional dac biet with minimal fuss. The cooking part is just : cook your sausages. That's it. Now of course, you might not have mayo and pickled carrot and radishes on hand. This is why I add an extra 40 minutes to this dish, because without, it'd be ready within 15 minutes, cooking included. You'd also have to prep your pickles the day before. I was very happy with the end result ! You'll find all the flavour markers of true Bánh mìs, except for the meat - and yes, I don't like maggi sauce, so I don't use it. Plus, you'd have some good mayo to use up with any fries you want, and some long-lasting pickles to put in salads, sandwiches or, like I did, in a Bò bún. If you like banh mis, give it a go !

Sausage banh-mi - Recipe

Ingredients - Advice & key points

• Mayonnaise : I recommend using a homemade mayonnaise. You can use my recipe for a foolproof mayonnaise.
• Radishes : I used classic European pink radish here, because it was what I could find and its taste is close to Daikon. Daikon, a big white radish, is what you'd prefer using ; you can find it at the fresh produce section of your Asian grocery store.
• Daikon and carrot pickles : I will publish a recipe for it if you want. Meanwhile, you can use this recipe ; i'd simply use white vinegar and adjust the vinegar amount to almost match the water amount.
• I'd advise you to use a mandoline for all your veggies to make it quicker, but you can still do it with your classic knife.
• I really prefer my baguette not overly crispy in Bánh mìs, which would make it less agreeable while eating.

Let's sandwich !