Banh Mi with Pork Patties and Dua Gop, and recipes for Roasted Rice Flour and Annatto Oil (Vietnamese)

You know what fascinates me about Asian cooking?  Asians eat regular food for breakfast.  I mean here, most people have cereals, pancakes, lumberjack breakfast (with eggs, toasts, potatoes and 3 different kind of pork, baked beans), toasts...  But Asian people can start the day with rice and fish and it doesn't seem weird.  So for breakfast last Saturday, I made Banh Mi with Pork Patties!

I had a little extra money for once and treated myself (and indirectly my boyfriend, it helps with daily menus!) to two cooking books.  One of the books I bought, I realized was boring, so I went back to the bookstore and said I received it as a gift but already owned it, so they let me exchange it, phew!  So I exchanged it for Vietnamese Street Food by Tracey Lister and Andreas Pohl, and even though their names aren't Vietnamese, the food is authentic, the street pictures and stories are nice!

Without further intro, here are the two modified and simplified recipes for Pork Patties and Carrots and Daikon pickles, from the book Vietnamese Street Food by Tracey Lister and Andreas Pohl, followed by my easy recipes to make Roasted Rice Flour and Annatto Seeds Oil!

(for 3-4 Banh Mi sandwiches)

-600g ground pork

-1 1/2tbsp roasted rice flour (store-bought or homemade, recipe follows)

-3 garlic cloves, chopped

-2 shallots, chopped

-1tbsp fish sauce

-1tsp annatto oil (recipe follows)

-1/2tsp sugar

-1/4tsp salt

-1/2tsp black pepper

Mix everything together and let the flavours meld for about 30 minutes.  Shape into flat patties and grill!

I served these patties in a Vietnamese baguette with dua gop (carrots and daikon pickles, recipe follows), cucumber slices, sliced green and red thai chillies, and parsley (if you like cilantro, unlike me, use it, it's more authentic).  The book suggested forming the meat into little sausages around the end of short bamboo skewers, and serving them as a bowl with herbs, fried dried tofu skins, pickles, rice vermicelli, lettuce, peanuts...  And rice sheets!  The picture looks so good, I'm definitely trying it this way next time!

And here is a recipe from the same book for Dua Gop, carrots and daikon pickles.  I tried this recipe, and except for the brine amount that was too small (but I modified it in this transcription), to me, all recipes I tried gave a similar result, so here's just one amongst others!

(makes about 2cups)

-250g carrots (if unlike me you can find these wide fat carrots, it makes the work easier)

-200g daikon

-300mL rice vinegar

-1/2cup sugar

-3tsp salt

Peel and cut the carrots and daikon into batons, matchsticks, or whatever shape you like, as long as it's not too thick.  This time I made batons, and it was a lot of work, but the crisp is nice and the shape makes the pickles look playful, but whatever shape you choose will taste good.  Squeeze all veggies into a jar (about 2 cups).

Put the vinegar, salt and sugar together in a small saucepan, and warm until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Let cool down to lukewarm and add to the jar.  I leave the jar on the counter for one day to make the pickling process faster.  After one day you can eat and keep in the fridge!

Why buy ROASTED RICE FLOUR when you can make your own! Start with half a cup or one cup (if you use roasted rice flour often) of glutinous/sweet white rice. Put it in a pan or wok on low or med-low heat and keep on mixing for 10-20 minutes, until the rice turns golden.  Be careful not to use high heat and mix constantly or it WILL burn.  When it's ready, transfer to a bowl and cool down completely.  Grind nicely with a coffee grinder, food processor or a mortar and pestle if you have time and want to be authentic!  Store in an airtight container on the shelf.

What about ANNATTO OIL?  Annatto oil is almost essential for certain Vietnamese dishes, it gives a nice yellow colour.  But I don't think you can buy it, you have to make it.  Good news: it only requires annatto seeds and oil!  In a small saucepan, warm 1tbsp annatto seeds in 125mL (about half a cup) of vegetable oil over low heat.  When the oil just starts to simmer, remove.  Let cool down, strain and transfer to a jar!

Enjoy cooking!