Chefs' Recipes

Mini pork banh mi by Ms G's

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for mini pork banh mi by Ms G's restaurant in Sydney.

By Dan Hong & Jowett Yu
  • 1 hr preparation
  • 4 hrs 40 mins cooking plus pickling, cooling, draining
  • Serves 12
  • Print
    Print
Ms G's: Mini pork banh mi
"I'm obsessed with the mini banh mi at Ms G's. Do you think chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu might share their recipe with me?"
Simon Perrett, via email
To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant's name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.
You'll need to begin this recipe a week ahead.

Ingredients

  • 750 gm piece boneless pork belly, skin on
  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced on a mandolin
  • For deep-frying: vegetable oil
  • 24 mini soft rolls, halved, or 1 baguette, cut into 4cm pieces
  • 120 gm chicken liver pâté
  • 250 gm cha lua, thinly sliced (see note)
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander
Pickled carrot and daikon
  • 500 ml (2 cups) white vinegar
  • 250 gm caster sugar
  • 1½ carrots, cut into julienne
  • ½ daikon, cut into julienne
Master stock
  • 5 red shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 25 gm (5cm piece) ginger, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 200 ml Shaoxing wine
  • 200 ml light soy sauce
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) dark soy sauce
  • 60 gm rock sugar, crushed (see note)
  • 5 star anise
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 piece each cassia bark, Chinese brown cardamom and licorice root (see note)
  • ½ bunch spring onions, coarsely chopped
Sriracha mayonnaise
  • 180 gm Japanese mayonnaise, such as Kenko or Kewpie (see note)
  • 30 gm Sriracha sauce (see note)

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pickled carrot and daikon, combine vinegar, sugar, 2 tsp sea salt flakes and 250ml water in a jug, whisk to combine. Place carrot and daikon in a sealable plastic container, cover with pickling liquid. Cover and refrigerate to pickle (5 days). Pickles will keep refrigerated for 4 weeks.
  • 2
    For master stock, process shallot, garlic and ginger in a food processor to a coarse paste. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, add shallot mixture, stir occasionally until golden (3-5 minutes). Add Shaoxing wine, bring to the simmer and reduce by half (2-4 minutes), then add soy sauces, sugar, a large pinch of salt and 4.5 litres water. Tie spices in a piece of muslin to form a parcel, add to stock with spring onion, reduce heat
    to low and simmer to infuse (30 minutes).
  • 3
    Add pork belly to master stock, weight with a plate to fully submerge and simmer until very tender (3-4 hours). Carefully remove pork and transfer to a tray lined with baking paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top, then another tray, evenly weight with food cans, refrigerate overnight. Strain master stock and reserve for another use (see note).
  • 4
    Rub 2 tsp sea salt flakes into cucumber in a colander and set aside to drain excess liquid (30 minutes). Rinse well under cold running water, dry on absorbent paper, set aside.
  • 5
    Preheat oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fryer to 175C. Slice pork belly into 1.5cm-thick pieces and cut length to fit rolls (about 4cm). Deep-fry in small batches until golden and crisp (3-4 minutes). Be very careful as hot oil will spit; we recommend using a spatter guard. Drain on absorbent paper.
  • 6
    Meanwhile, for Sriracha mayonnaise, whisk ingredients in a bowl to combine then refrigerate until required.
  • 7
    Spread roll bases with pâté, top with cha lua, pork belly, cucumber, pickles and coriander, finish with Sriracha mayonnaise, sandwich with tops and serve.

Notes

Cha lua is a Vietnamese pork sausage available from Vietnamese grocers. Rock sugar, Chinese brown cardamom, licorice root, Japanese mayonnaise and Sriracha, a Thai chilli sauce, are available from Asian grocers. Master stock will keep refrigerated for 2 weeks or frozen for 2 months. Boil before using.
This recipe is from the September 2011 issue of
.

SHAREPIN
  • undefined: Dan Hong & Jowett Yu