banh mi sandwich with lemongrass chicken

I made this meatball sandwich with ground turkey and it was delicious

When the women's liberation movement began, when people began protesting against the Vietnam War, civil rights movement, at the beginning of those movements, the majority of the country was not with them, did not believe in the basic principles of any of those philosophies.

Michael Moore

Banh mi Sandwich is a heavy snack or a meal-on-the-run. It is sold by ambulant vendors, in food stalls and in what we'd call "regular" restaurants. The great thing about banh mi is that there are so many variants that one can have banh mi for a week or longer and each sandwich will be different from the last.

What's in a banh mi sandwich? It starts with the baguette, of course. The Vietnamese baguette has a thinner and crisper crust than its French ancestor. And banh mi sandwiches are traditionally made with petite baguette which are smaller than the French baguette and meant to serve one.

What's inside the baguette? There are staples like fresh herbs and pickled carrot and radish. The base can be mayonnaise or liver pâté or both. The main filling can be pork, beef, chicken, meatballs, fish, "head cheese" (parts of the pig's head that are rolled, cooked then sliced like cheese), 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 to 4 chicken thigh fillets (or use breast, if you prefer white meat), skin on or skinless
• 3 to 4 tablespoon nước mắm (fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons r (use only the tender center of white portion of the stalks)
• 3 to 4 petite baguettes (or one regular-sized baguette cut into 4 portions)
• about 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• about 8 tablespoons spreadable duck or chicken liver pâté, store-bought or homemade See homemade recipe below.
• 1 cucumber, cut into thin slices
• pickled carrot and radish, as much as you like
• fresh cilantro and mint leaves

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 3 to 4 banh mi sandwiches

PREPARATION

Season the chicken fillets with the fish sauce, garlic and sliced lemongrass. Mix with your hands and work the seasonings into the meat. Place in a bowl, cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the chicken to soak up the flavors.

Grill, broil or shallow fry the chicken. Cut into thin slices.

Split the baguettes. Pull out the centers to make space for the filling (reserve the soft

centers for another use). Spread the hollowed out bottom half with mayonnaise followed by liver pâté. Top with cucumber slices, chicken slices, pickled carrot and radish and, finally, with fresh herbs.

Serve at once.

Though this pâté can be eaten the day it's made, we find it even more flavorful when made 1 or 2 days ahead. If you use several small ramekins instead of a pâté crock or terrine, 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons bourbon

• Special equipment: a 2 1/2-cup crock or terrine or several small ramekins
• Accompaniment: crackers or toasted baguette slices
• Garnish: a fresh thyme, marjoram, or sage sprig

PREPARATION

Melt 1 stick butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, then cook onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add herbs, salt, pepper, allspice, and livers and cook, stirring, until livers are cooked outside but still pink when cut open, about 8 minutes. Stir in bourbon and remove from heat. Purée mixture in a food processor until smooth, then transfer pâté to crock and smooth top.

I mixed calf liver, duck, chicken, and just to top it off some goose liver. In fact I saved all this liver up in the freezer until I got it all. 

Melt remaining 1/2 stick butter in a very small heavy saucepan over low heat, then remove pan from heat and let butter stand 3 minutes. If using herb garnish, put sprig on top of pâté. Skim froth from butter, then spoon enough clarified butter over pâté to cover its surface, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan.

Chill pâté until butter is firm, about 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours more.