{ Inspired By }

Our multi-talented Wellington store Sales Manager Nikki was also a contestant on this year's Masterchef 2014. Luckily this means she shares some of her delicious recipes with us! Taking inspiration from our new season collection inspired by the Vietnamese city of Hanoi, Nikki and Jordan have provided us with their recipe for Vietnamese Pork Baguette (Bánh mì). Enjoy!

Ingredients for the Vietnamese Pork:

●     1 pork loin, approx. 800g
●     3 stalks lemongrass, roughly sliced (white parts only)
●     1 small chilli, roughly chopped
●     2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
●     1 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped
●     2 tbsp fish sauce
●     2 tbsp soy sauce
●     3 tbsp palm sugar, shaved
●     1 piece of star anise, roughly crushed
●     1-2 Tbsp cooking oil

Ingredients for the baguette:

●     1 long baguette, the softer the better (warmed, divided into four and cut open)

●     250g French paté (pork or chicken liver)

●     250g Vietnamese style shaved pork

●     ¼ Lebanese cucumber, seeded and julienned

●     1 carrot, peeled and julienned

●     2 spring onions, thinly sliced

●     ¼ cup rice vinegar, warm

●     ¼ cup white sugar

●     ¼ cup of mayonnaise (Japanese kewpie works very well)

●     1 long red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced into strips

●     ½ cup mung beans

●     small handful of south-east Asian herbs, such as coriander, Vietnamese mint, or Thai basil

●     sriracha hot chilli sauce (optional)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients to season the Vietnamese pork in a small food processor and blend to a paste.
2. Coat the pork well in the paste, then leave to marinade overnight in a ziplock bag or similar.
3. Cover the loin loosely with foil, and bake in oven at 160° for about 20 minutes, or until medium.
4. Heat a heavy based frying pan with a touch of oil and sear sides of pork quickly.
5. Allow to rest before slicing thinly.

6. To assemble your baguette, mix the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cucumber and carrot and leave aside to pickle for 30 minutes.

8. Place a generous amount of paté on each baguette piece, followed by some pork, mayo, mung beans, pickled carrot and cucumber, and spring onions. Decorate with some herbs and chilli or sriracha hot chilli sauce and then serve.