Bánh Mì - Indochine Sandwiches

I was lucky enough to go to George Brown Culinary when it was still in Kensington Market in Toronto. One the great cheap eats in the area were the $1 Saigon subs they sold at a shop near Dundas and Spadina. Since those days the Bánh Mì sandwich has become popular all over Toronto and any major city in the States with a South East Asian population.
Originating in the colonial French cities of Saigon, Vientiene, and Phnom Penh, these sandwiches consist of a French style baguette called bánh mì in Vietnam,  khao jee in Laos, and nam pang in Cambodia. The Bánh mì baguette recipe was modified to include rice flour to help it stand up to the heat and humidity in this region making them extra light and crispy. These special baguettes are filled with locally flavoured meats, pates, and cold cuts as well as chili, coriander and a carrot daikon salad known as do chua and sold on the streets and markets. For an interesting and in depth look at the French baguette in Indochina please read this article at http://wwwbaguetteindochina-somkieth.blogspot.com/


Baguette Cart in Luang Prabang

Travelling from town to town in Laos can be a bit of an ordeal, and the long bumpy truck rides at 6am were always a bit better if you got a couple of khao jee pate sandwiches to go. The Laotian version has a thick layer of spreadable pate and is much wetter and less spicy than it's Vietnamese counterpart. Cucumber slices are often used instead of the carrot and daikon as well. Most carts also sell the baguette with condensed milk to go with the thick morning coffee served in the region.



Typical Khao Jee Ingredients, photo from baguetteindochina-somkieth.blogspot

Here is a video of a khao jee pate sandwich being made in Vientiene.

Nam pang in Cambodia is not necessarily eaten as a sandwich. In market stalls it will be served separately with a platter of of the various meats as well as shredded green papaya, carrots, tomato and cucumber. It's more of a do-it-yourself deal and comes with a selection of great spicy condiments. I find these to be a much better deal than the pre-made versions you get in Phnom Penh, but communication can be a problem as the owners aren't use to dealing with foreigners.

from migrationology.com

Most Bánh Mì shops in North America are based on the Vietnamese style sandwich and have similar menus. This menu is from Banh Mi Bale in Toronto

1. Thap Cam or Dặc Biệt ( Combination orSpecial )- a mix of pork roll, pate and cold cuts
2.  Pha Lau - Pig ear and pork belly
3. Nem Nướng - garlic ground pork patties
4. Thịt Nướng -Vietnamese marinated grilled pork usually pork shoulder or pork butt.
5. Gà Chà Bong or Gà Nướng - shredded or grilled chicken
6. Xíu Mại - soft pork meatballs cooked in a sweet tomato based sauce.
7 Tau Hu Chay - tofu and vegetarian style
9. Bì - shredded pork skin 
10. Batệ Chà- Viet- flavoured pork pate

 Chả Bi made in Toronto

One of the most popular cold cuts in a banh mi is Chả Bi or Chả Lụa (Pork Roll). Ground up pork is packed into a roll and wrapped with banana leaves then steamed or boiled, hence producing a dense bologna type “pork roll”. These can be bought in the refrigerator section of most Asian markets.

Nem Chua

Nem Chua (Sour Pork) is also common. Little squares of sour pork meat are  seasoned with a  mixture of  vinegar, yeast, fish sauce, garlic, salt, sugar and pepper. The mixture is then wrapped  into small squares and left to pickle and ferment for about 7 days.




Chả Bi sliced

Many banh mi shops sell pre-packaged cold spring rolls and flour rolls and other small takeaway items, and some, like Banh Mi Bale in Toronto sell noodle soups and small rice dishes.



waiting for banh mi

where I go most often



selection of cold takeaway items at Nguyen Huong on Spadina

  To make banh mi at home, any selection of cold cuts like bologna and chicken loaf or BBQ pork, topped with chili sauce, coriander and homemade do chua on a baguette will taste pretty authentic.

Do Chua Recipe
Makes about 2 cups

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 small daikon peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp fish sauce

1. Place the carrot and daikon in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt . Toss the vegetables and let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water.
3. To make the brine, combine the sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
4. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate for at least 1 hour

The Biggest Mac

January is a slow time for us at work, so we decided to make what is possibly the world's largest Big Mac for staff meal.

A homemade giant burger bun, 10 sliced dill pickles a liter of "special sauce", 2 heads of iceberg, 2  5lb beef patties, and 48 slices of cheese were used to put this monstrosity together.

 We didn't have a scale big enough, but we figure it was around 20lb in total weight. After fooling around taking pictures we ate it, and it had a very authentic taste. More than 10 people participated and we still couldn't finish it.



It was a fun day. I wonder what we'll do next.

Patat Oorlog - Dutch Street Fusion

French fries with mayo would be considered a standard snack in Belgium, Scandinavia and many other places in Europe, but only in the Netherlands does this cultural fusion exist. In Dutch patatje oorlog means "war chips" and is a tasty combination of French fries, mayo, raw onions and Indonesian sate sauce.

Sate is one of Indonesia's most famous dishes. A spicy mix of peanuts, turmeric, ginger, kecap manis, chili and other regional spices are blended with coconut milk as a sauce for various meat skewers. The colonial spice trade brought this dish back to Holland, and like rijsttafel  has been assimilated into Dutch culture.


from http://simplyjacy.com/food/a-dutch-street-food-patat-oorlog-224/

.Most often these fries are served in a cone and are available at schnellimbiss all over The Netherlands

I make a gourmet version at my restaurant in Toronto, and it's a big hit.

I don't have a relevant video for this post, so watch this crazy Dutch commercial.

:)

The Danish Pølsevogn

Hotdogs and hotdog stands are popular almost everywhere, but I don't think anywhere takes the concept of sausage and bread as seriously as the Danes. A Danish hotdog stand called a pølsevogn can be found on almost any major street or torv in Denmark. Much larger and more involved than a typical North American hotdog cart, the pølsevogn is more like an outdoor mobile kitchen along the lines on an imbiss in Germany.



from slagterimuseet.dk

The first hotdogs were officially sold on the street in 1910 and quickly grew in popularity. There were over 400 pølsevogn in Copenhagen by the 1950's. Rødpølser one of the first types of hotdog sold, is a long skinny wiener that was originally dipped in red dye as to hide the fact that they could be "day old" and looked more fresh. They are still traditionally dyed that colour today and over 100 million are eaten each year in Denmark. Pretty impressive for a country of 5.5 million!

from NarSissi

Pølservogn menus are fairly standard and posted with pictures on the side of the stand.

The first time I ordered a hotdog pølse in Copenhagen they asked me if I wanted bread. I said "of course" having never eaten a hotdog that wasn't in a bun. When I got this tiny dinner roll on the side I couldn't help but laugh out loud, but this is how most sausages are served. Whatever sausage you choose comes on a plate with a squirt of mustard and hotdog ketchup (a ketchup with a texture and flavour that's unique) and a bun on the side.

Standard Danish Hotdog Configuration

A ristet hotdog does come inside a bun and is topped with pickled cucumber, crispy onions, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade ( a sweet mayo pickle and herb sauce)

Ristet Hotdog

 Possibly the most popular item sold is a  fransk dog which is a hollowed out baguette filled with a special tangy mayo and a hotdog stuffed inside.

picture by su-lin

a medister pølse is a sausage that's spicier and more like a bratwurst and a  pølse i svob is wrapped in bacon. All types are traditionally eaten with a cocio chocolate milk

A pølsevogn is usually motorized and can be driven from place to place. In the mornings these slow moving vehicles can cause traffic jams, but everyone seems to except it as part of city life. here is a video of a typical Danish hotdog stand.

Pølsemanden are considered a special breed in Denmark and can always be relied on for interesting conversation. Young and old can be seen eating hotdogs day and night in Copenhagen. You must visit a pølsevogn if you ever visit Denmark. See more pictures of pølsevogn at my photoblog

Friendly Pølsemand

Galette Saucisse - Rennes Hotdog

photo From Wikipedia

 I love discovering unique hotdogs from around the world. Galette saucisse is a speciality of Rennes in France. A buckwheat pancake is wrapped around a fresh grilled sausage and served from carts in markets.




from Oh The Places You'll Go

 It is very popular and is a tradition to eat them before football games. The local team Stade Rennais has a song involving the galette saucisse. You can read the lyrics and hear it HERE.

I made some for staff at work using a simple recipe for Galette bretonne and some good veal and pork sausages I bought at a butcher in Kensington. I spread a mixture of Dijon mustard and mayo on the galette before wrapping the sausage. They were great.


My Galette Saucisse

 I found this interesting video of a man making these snacks on a Haute-Bretagne tourist site:


La galette saucisse de Rennes en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

Here's a recipe for the crepes if you want to try these at home.

Galettes de Sarrasin

• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water

Whisk all ingredients together and let rest for an hour. Heat a non-stick 8 inch pan. Pour 3 to 4 tbsp of batter into the heated pan while tilting to spread the batter over the bottom of the pan. Turn the crepe over when the edges are dry and crispy and cook for just a few more seconds before taking it out of the pan.
To make the galette saucisse, spread the hot crepe with mustard and wrap around your favourite sausage



A Stand in Rennes



Løgimose's Gourmet Hotdogs

I've been eating a lot of hotdogs recently, during my research for my upcoming Danish pølser post, and the hotdogs at Løgimose Grillbar in København are something special.

Handmade sausages in fresh baked bread are topped with gourmet versions of typical Danish condiments. Onions sauteed in duck fat and rosemary, wild mushroom remoulade ( pickled vegetable mayonnaise), French cornichons, and baby watercress. The flavour combination is very good.

You can enjoy it at a small eating counter inside or get it takeaway in a small wooden boat for 49kr. Løgimoses is located in the newly designed Nimb restaurant complex across from the central train station.

NOTE: Løgimoses is now called Andersen Bakery here's an article on Andersen

I intend to go back and try their version of a fransk hot dog. It's a bit too early to judge, but I'm sure Løgimoses will make the Street Cuisine "Hotdog Top 5" in the future.

Here's my recipe for gourmet Danish style remoulade for hotdogs.

Danish Mushroom Remoulade

• ½ cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 diced shallot
• ¼ cup finely diced carrot
• 2 finely diced sweet pickles, or 5-6 diced pickle slices
• 1 tsp chopped capers
• 1 tsp chopped tarragon
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp wine vinegar
• ½ cup mayonnaise

1. Saute mushrooms, shallots, carrots in a little butter browning them slightly.
2. add the vinegar and reduce all the liquid
3. add the Dijon, capers and pickles
4. let cool and mix with the mayonnaise
   
   
   
   

The Swedish Korvkiosk

After several years eating pølser in Denmark I figured it was time to see what was going on in Sweden. I had heard about hotdogs with mashed potatos on top, and shrimp salad and the famous tunnbrödsrulle so i was excited to taste these exotic hotdogs across the Øresundsbro.



Hotdogs are called korv in Swedish and are served from a korvkiosk. korv was first served in Stockholm in 1897 by "korv ladies" carrying trays of hotdogs around their necks, then sold from kiosks in the 1950's. Most kiosks are stationary, unlike carts in America or Denmark.

My first stop was "Pølsemannen" a mobile kiosk selling a limited selection of dogs in a large "Chicago" bun. This was a pleasant suprise because in Scandinavia the regular bun you get is so small I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I was first served one. I had a chorizo with mustard and crisp onions. A tame but tasty start to the day.

My next stop was a larger korvkiosk serving all types of korv as well as burgers and ice cream. This time i tried a korv topped with räksallad (shrimps in mayonaise). It was messy, but good.



After a few beers on an outdoor patio we moved on to another place and tried a korv with mos and bostongurka as well as the swedish specialty köttbullar with lingonberry sauce. Both were good, but very filling.

Unforunately I left the biggest for last. Tunnbrödsrulle is a monster. Two korv wrapped inside a tortilla like flat bread with mashed potatos, shrimp salad, relish, mustard, and ketchup. This is the classic late night after pub food.
I was too full. It was too much, even for me. I promise I will go back soon and try one with the chocolate drink "pucko", but not today!

Thanks to Mia Hargreave for her hotdog photography