Folks, this is the foodie bliss I call Bahn Mi Tacos!

This week, as I sat down to write my weekly meal plan  I knew I had to stick Bahn Mi Tacos in there somewhere. I’ve been dreaming about Bahn Mi since my first trip to San Francisco last year.  The Bahn Mi Sandwich, pronounced “Bawn Mee” is by far one of the best sandwiches I have ever had- and this girl’s been around the foodie block a few times!

Bahn is Vietnamese for bread and Mi for wheat since this sandwich is typically made on a French baguette which was a result of the French influence during their colonization.

• ​​Recipe type: Main
• Cuisine: Vietnamese Mexican
• Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lbs of pulled pork
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• ½ cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 cucumbers, sliced
• 2 cups of carrots, shredded
• 1 cup of cilantro leaves
• 2 jalapenos, sliced *optional
• ¼ cup of soy or teriyaki sauce
• 8 soft tacos

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, remove from the heat.
2. Place the carrots in a separate bowl and pour the pickling solution over them. The carrots will begin to soften. Let sit for 20 minutes or put in the microwave for 2 minutes to speed up the process. Once the carrots are tender, completely drain the pickling solution. Now it’s time to assemble our tacos.
3. Add the pulled pork to the middle of the soft taco. Add the sliced cucumbers on top of the pulled pork, then the cilantro leaves and the pickled carrots. If you like a little heat in your tacos, add a couple slices of jalapeno on top.
4. Drizzle with some soy sauce or teriyaki sauce.

The Bahn Mi Inspiration

I was in search of some cool foodie joints on my business trip and found this hole-in-the-wall spot in downtown San Francisco, Saigon Sandwich. They only took cash and you knew the moment you walked in this place the food would be unforgettable! Don’t these types of holey joints all have that in common?

There was a couple of older Vietnamese women working there – one taking orders and the other serving the food. The menu only had about 6 items and the place was big enough for walking up and ordering your food, but the line was out the door and down the street! I placed my order and only waited for a few minutes. I walked out of that place with both the Chicken and Pork Bahn Mi sandwiches- one in each hand! One to take back to my hotel room and one for the next day.

I know what you must be thinking..two sandwiches…ha! but I had to taste both the chicken and pork…you understand right?…my taste buds begged and I followed. Judge if you must..lol but every bite was worth it. I can’t express how amazing those sandwiches were. If you know me by now, you know I loooove sweet and salty and YEP–>> this Bahn Mi sandwich was all that and had so much more goin’ on. Most Bahn Mi sandwiches have the following components in common:

1. cucumbers
2. shredded sweet & sour carrots and daikon <<–OMG
3. cilantro leaves
4. oven-roasted pork or chicken
5. jalapeno peppers

Ok, I’ve never had fresh cilantro in a sandwich like this before and I think every sandwich in the world should be so good. My Bahn Mi variation this week replaces the bread with soft flour tacos and I added a Cilantro Mayo- but that’s optional. After trying it with the Cilantro Mayo I felt it made the tacos a little too salty with the salt from the pork and teriyaki sauce. But if you’re using baguettes, then I’d definitely go with the Cilantro Mayo, because the saltiness is more balanced out as the bread is more dense than the tacos and soaks a lot of it up nicely.

I used my leftover pulled pork from Wednesday’s dinner which tasted even better the next day. You can use chicken or any protein will work as well. 

Meal planning tip: Slow cook a nice-sized portion of meat, enough for two days’ and cut your cooking time in half for one of the two meals by using the leftovers. 

The first thing I did was prep my veggies: I shredded the carrots and sliced the cucumbers and jalapenos. I soaked my cilantro and rinsed away any grit. Make sure you clean your cilantro thoroughly or any residual grit is going to kill this masterpiece.

Then I combined the sugar, salt and vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Once the sugar dissolved, I removed it from the heat.

I placed the carrots in a separate bowl and poured the pickling solution over them. The carrots will begin to soften. I put mine in the microwave for 2 minutes to speed up the process. Once the carrots are tender, completely drain the pickling solution. 

Now it’s time to assemble our tacos. Add the pulled pork to the center of the soft taco. 

Then layer with the sliced cucumbers, the cilantro leaves and the pickled carrots on top. Drizzle with some soy sauce or teriyaki sauce.

The moment you take your first bite, your taste buds get hit with the salty, flavorful pork, then the crisp, refreshing taste of the cucumber, then comes that crisp, wonderful cilantro and the sour-sweetness of the shredded carrots. Foodie bliss with every bite!

So as far as my meal plan goes, we might just bump Friday’s meal out and do Bahn Mi Part 2 because once was not enough.

I think this time I’ll buy some baguettes to get that traditional Vietnamese thing going here. Yeah- it’s that good! So thanks to Bahn Mi,Thursday night’s dinner was off-da-chain! and so is my recipe post for the week! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did and will do again and again and..well you get the point.