I had no idea what a bahn mi sandwich was until I moved into an apartment overlooking a Vietnamese sandwich shop on Lawrence Ave. As it turned out, this nondescript neighborhood joint with the big $3 sandwiches was not only one of the finest meat-on-bread purveyors in our fair city, but also a major step in my continuing education about Asian food.

The story of the bahn mi is perhaps greater than my ability to tell it. Suffice to say, Vietnam has always had an extremely interesting food history, melding vibrant regional Asian cuisine with predictable influence from its past as a French colony. Hence, the bahn mi melds Francophile staples like pate and the baguette with hot peppers, daikon, and fish sauce. I can’t give it enough praise, while you can’t really believe me until you try one. I guarantee you’ll really enjoy the deep combination of flavors – though I offer the qualification that you may want to ask them to go easy on the jalapenos or cilantro depending on your personal tastes.

To further complicate manners, this is only my personal version of a bahn mi. I’ve used some of the spice from my recent Korean food activity, and pickled my own variety of vegetables that doesn’t exactly match what you’ll get on Lawrence Ave. or in Little Vietnam in north Uptown. But discovering new food is all about finding out what you like, and this sandwich gets my stamp of approval, for all that’s worth. I can’t think of anything I’d rather showcase as one of my favorite things about this great food city. Let me know how you like it.

The Setup

Meat
1 lb ribeye, sliced very thin
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 medium white onion, grated
1 tsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet until browned
1/2 tsp black pepper

Veggies
4 carrots, julienned
1 red onion, sliced into thin strips
3 jalapenos, sliced thin
3 c red wine vinegar
1 c sugar
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds

Also…
Skewers (soak those, as they’re extremely flammable)
Baguettes (mini or regular cut in half)
Fish sauce (optional, to toss vegetables)
Cilantro

To slice the ribeye thin, put the steak(s) in the freezer for 15 minutes or so. It’s a hundred times easier.

As for the julienne, I think there are a hundred better places to find out how to do that. Here’s one.

Cooking

1. In a nonreactive pot (stainless steel or enameled cast iron, not aluminum), combine the vinegar, sugar, fennel, and 3 c water, bringing to a boil while stirring to dissolve sugar.

2. Put the vegetables in a large glass or steel bowl and pour the hot vinegar over the vegetables. Cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 20 minutes.

3. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid and discard the remainder. Refrigerate the vegetables and remaining liquid covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use them on the sandwich.

4. Whisk together all non-meat ingredients under the “Meat” heading to make the marinade. Place the sliced beef in a gallon bag and pour the marinade over. Marinade at least 30 minutes and up to a few hours.

5. Thread the meat onto the soaked skewers and grill over a high flame for 2 minutes on each side. These should cook up really quickly and you don’t want them tough. You high rise dwellers can also sear them off over medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy pan or skillet.

6. Toast the sandwich baguettes, if that’s your thing, and place the meat on the buns, followed by pickled vegetables, and any fish sauce or cilantro that you’re hankering for. Serve with a tall, cold beer.