Part of the fun of moving to a new city is unearthing its treasures and for me there's no better way to find my bearings than with my belly. The last few years, my love of good eats has led me to banal trolls of the "international" aisles in Missoula, to digging up steamers near Point Judith, to lunar landscapes in search of morels, to chatting up the Portuguese fellow selling fish out his truck; all over map I've been, thanks to a hungry belly and thoughts of I wonder...
Moving to Portland has been no different and I've been basking in the accessible Asian provisions namely from a gem of a grocery store/mall called Fubonn. Typical by Californian standards, Fubonn is large supermarket flanked by several small specialty shops catering to the Asian community. Need a cell phone? Tailored chi pao? 24 karat gold bracelet for your nephew's new son? Huge marble dragon? No problem, Fubonn 'N Friends gotcha covered.
After shopping at Fubonn's on Sunday I came home armed with banh mi makings. Banh mi (pronounced BUN-me) is the classic Vietnamese sandwich born of French colonization. There are infinite takes on banh mi, but the standard is typically composed of a lightly toasted baguette, a thin layer of sliced meat, a pile of sweet and tangy carrot/daikon pickles, a few sprigs of cilantro, sliced chilies, and a light shmear of pate. Fusion food never taste so good and here's how you do it:
Homemade Banh Mi
a hoagie sized baguette preferably with a thin crisp crust
thinly sliced deli meat (headcheese & cha lua are traditional, use what you have)
pickled carrots/daikon *see recipe below this can also be purchased
a few sprigs of cilantro
chilies, sliced
pate If you can't find the Vietnamese version use the French variety found in the deli case
mayonnaise
Sriracha hot sauce
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and very lightly toast. Spread a light layer of pate to one half of the bread and if you like, mayo on the other. Add a thin layer of meat. Top with a generous pile of carrots/daikon, cilantro, and chilies. Eat.
Do Chua, Carrots & Daikon Pickles
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
an equal amount of daikon, cut into matchsticks
2 T. sugar
1/3 C. rice vinegar
1/2 t. salt
Place veggies in a non-reactive bowl. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved, pour over veggies. Marinate for at least one hour before serving or store in a glass container for up to 4 weeks.
Moving to Portland has been no different and I've been basking in the accessible Asian provisions namely from a gem of a grocery store/mall called Fubonn. Typical by Californian standards, Fubonn is large supermarket flanked by several small specialty shops catering to the Asian community. Need a cell phone? Tailored chi pao? 24 karat gold bracelet for your nephew's new son? Huge marble dragon? No problem, Fubonn 'N Friends gotcha covered.
After shopping at Fubonn's on Sunday I came home armed with banh mi makings. Banh mi (pronounced BUN-me) is the classic Vietnamese sandwich born of French colonization. There are infinite takes on banh mi, but the standard is typically composed of a lightly toasted baguette, a thin layer of sliced meat, a pile of sweet and tangy carrot/daikon pickles, a few sprigs of cilantro, sliced chilies, and a light shmear of pate. Fusion food never taste so good and here's how you do it:
Homemade Banh Mi
a hoagie sized baguette preferably with a thin crisp crust
thinly sliced deli meat (headcheese & cha lua are traditional, use what you have)
pickled carrots/daikon *see recipe below this can also be purchased
a few sprigs of cilantro
chilies, sliced
pate If you can't find the Vietnamese version use the French variety found in the deli case
mayonnaise
Sriracha hot sauce
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and very lightly toast. Spread a light layer of pate to one half of the bread and if you like, mayo on the other. Add a thin layer of meat. Top with a generous pile of carrots/daikon, cilantro, and chilies. Eat.
Do Chua, Carrots & Daikon Pickles
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
an equal amount of daikon, cut into matchsticks
2 T. sugar
1/3 C. rice vinegar
1/2 t. salt
Place veggies in a non-reactive bowl. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved, pour over veggies. Marinate for at least one hour before serving or store in a glass container for up to 4 weeks.
Emmy, I love your blog and your new digs! Can't be as cool as Pine St of course cuz Richard and I aren't there but your mushroom hunting adventures look on par. So even though there will be no more impormptu huckleberry sorbet parties w crazy bonfires in the back yard I'm psyched I can follow your gastronomic adventures via the web... Caio, we miss you guys!
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