 | Oh boy. What a weekend! I had the honor of being in a very good friend's weddings...yep, two of them! 1 Nigerian, 1 American. She was gorgeous in both. It was great, everyone seemed to have a good time, but as such events always are, it was also exhausting! Add in a 7+ hour drive both ways in less than 4 days...well, let's just say you're lucky to be getting this post, let alone a post free of errors and completely incomprehensible ramblings! |
Anyway, the recipe I'm sharing today is really great. I actually made it last week for Memorial Day, as I had the whole day off and it was a bit brisk here. Having something slow cooking, filling the apartment with mouth-watering aromas, seemed to be just what the day demanded while I enjoyed the freedom and safety provided to me by those such a day hopes to honor. Bahn Mi is a rather traditional Vietnamese pork dish. It is a bit sweet, a bit salty, has a good bite to it and is basically just delicious. While the pork is wonderful on its own, the variety of accompaniments are what really seem to make it "pop". This can easily be served on a regular-old bun or a nice sourdough baguette hunk. I, however, wanting to be ambitious and taking advantage of the full day to prep, decided to make some steamed buns. They were great and really not the hard; I've included both recipes below. For a quick, delicious dinner, however, the standard sourdough would be just fine and means the meal could come together in minutes. Slow-cooker on while at the pool all day, anyone?
Bahn Mi
makes enough for 2-4
adapted from Kitchen Confidante
Pulled pork:
1-pound boneless pork shoulder roast (I could only get about 2 lbs at the smallest; make it all and just double the recipe, or cut the pork in half before you start and freeze it for later!)
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1 thick, peeled slice of ginger
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar or cane sugar
1-2 Tbs honey or maple syrup (or more sugar)
Pickled carrot:
1/4 cup white vinegar
2-3 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots (2-3 carrots)
Additional "Toppings":
mayo
hot sauce (I mixed sriracha and mayo together for each)
cucumber, thinly sliced
jalapeño, thinly sliced and de-seeded
fresh cilantro leaves
sauce from pulled pork
Baguette, buns, or steamed buns (see below for recipe) - could also use GF buns for a GF-option!
Season your pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Place the diced jalapeño, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and honey into your slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder in the liquid and cover. Cook on high for about 1-2 hours, or until the liquid is bubbling a bit. Then turn to low and cook another 4-5 hours, until the pork is super duper tender and wanting to just fall apart. Alternatively, you can cook on high for about 4 hours total instead. If you'd like, rotate the pork once during the cooking. When the pork is ready, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it on a cutting board, discarding any large hunks of fat. Strain the remaining cooking liquid into a bowl/container to be used as a sauce.
While the pork is cooking, make the pickled carrot. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until dissolved. Add the shredded carrots and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Drain the carrots, place into a bowl or container, and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.
Dinner time: Slice your buns or baguettes in half, spread a bit of spiced-mayo on half of it, add the cucumber slices and jalapeño slices, then finally the pickled carrots. Top with some pork, a drizzle of the reserved "sauce", and some fresh cilantro. Soooooo good!
Steamed Buns
makes about 8 buns
adapted from Love and Olive Oil
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 Tbs honey
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or regular flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature (I used whole milk and just warmed it very slightly in the microwave because I am impatient)
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, honey, and yeast; let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes). Once foamy, stir in the milk mixture. Then add the flour and salt. Knead the dough gently until it's smooth. It will still be slightly sticky, but if it seems WAY sticky, add a bit more flour. I think I ended up adding almost another 1/3 cup. Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl (or just lift the dough out for a second and gently oil the bowl you mixed it in; again, I'm lazy and don't like to have to do extra dishes!). Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 50 minutes.
Gently punch down the dough and transfer it to a floured work surface. Form it into a rectangle and cut into 8 equal pieces (I like to cut it in half and then cut each half in half). With floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball, sprinkle with flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the balls rise and rest for about 10 more minutes.
While the dough rests, heat a deep skillet or wok over medium high heat. Place either a bamboo or metal steamer over the water; make sure the water stays BELOW the steaming vessel. Cut out eight squares of parchment paper, big enough for the buns to sit on comfortably. Bring the water to a boil. Working with just 4 of the dough balls at a time, place four pieces of parchment paper into the steamer and then place a ball of dough on each. Cover and let steam for about 10 minutes, until the dough is tender and cooked. Remove - carefully!!! - to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining dough and parchment squares.
Bahn Mi
makes enough for 2-4
adapted from Kitchen Confidante
Pulled pork:
1-pound boneless pork shoulder roast (I could only get about 2 lbs at the smallest; make it all and just double the recipe, or cut the pork in half before you start and freeze it for later!)
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1 thick, peeled slice of ginger
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar or cane sugar
1-2 Tbs honey or maple syrup (or more sugar)
Pickled carrot:
1/4 cup white vinegar
2-3 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots (2-3 carrots)
Additional "Toppings":
mayo
hot sauce (I mixed sriracha and mayo together for each)
cucumber, thinly sliced
jalapeño, thinly sliced and de-seeded
fresh cilantro leaves
sauce from pulled pork
Baguette, buns, or steamed buns (see below for recipe) - could also use GF buns for a GF-option!
Season your pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Place the diced jalapeño, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and honey into your slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder in the liquid and cover. Cook on high for about 1-2 hours, or until the liquid is bubbling a bit. Then turn to low and cook another 4-5 hours, until the pork is super duper tender and wanting to just fall apart. Alternatively, you can cook on high for about 4 hours total instead. If you'd like, rotate the pork once during the cooking. When the pork is ready, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it on a cutting board, discarding any large hunks of fat. Strain the remaining cooking liquid into a bowl/container to be used as a sauce.
While the pork is cooking, make the pickled carrot. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until dissolved. Add the shredded carrots and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Drain the carrots, place into a bowl or container, and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.
Dinner time: Slice your buns or baguettes in half, spread a bit of spiced-mayo on half of it, add the cucumber slices and jalapeño slices, then finally the pickled carrots. Top with some pork, a drizzle of the reserved "sauce", and some fresh cilantro. Soooooo good!
Steamed Buns
makes about 8 buns
adapted from Love and Olive Oil
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 Tbs honey
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or regular flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature (I used whole milk and just warmed it very slightly in the microwave because I am impatient)
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, honey, and yeast; let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes). Once foamy, stir in the milk mixture. Then add the flour and salt. Knead the dough gently until it's smooth. It will still be slightly sticky, but if it seems WAY sticky, add a bit more flour. I think I ended up adding almost another 1/3 cup. Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl (or just lift the dough out for a second and gently oil the bowl you mixed it in; again, I'm lazy and don't like to have to do extra dishes!). Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 50 minutes.
Gently punch down the dough and transfer it to a floured work surface. Form it into a rectangle and cut into 8 equal pieces (I like to cut it in half and then cut each half in half). With floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a ball, sprinkle with flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the balls rise and rest for about 10 more minutes.
While the dough rests, heat a deep skillet or wok over medium high heat. Place either a bamboo or metal steamer over the water; make sure the water stays BELOW the steaming vessel. Cut out eight squares of parchment paper, big enough for the buns to sit on comfortably. Bring the water to a boil. Working with just 4 of the dough balls at a time, place four pieces of parchment paper into the steamer and then place a ball of dough on each. Cover and let steam for about 10 minutes, until the dough is tender and cooked. Remove - carefully!!! - to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining dough and parchment squares.