Bahn Mi

A common craving among our readers is for ethnic, spicy fare, and these Vietnamese-style sandwiches fill the bill. You can prepare the pork and the mayonnaise mixture (steps 3 and 4) up to a day ahead. Assemble the sandwiches up to four hours ahead, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup grated peeled daikon radish
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 (20-inch) baguettes (about 8 1/2 ounces each)
• 16 thin cucumber slices (about 1 cucumber)
• 16 cilantro sprigs
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 2)
• 1 seeded and thinly sliced jalapeño pepper

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients; cover and let stand 15 minutes to 1 hour. Drain.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Combine the chili garlic sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar; stir well. Place pork on the rack of a small roasting pan or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread 2 tablespoons chili garlic mixture evenly over pork; sprinkle the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink). Cool; cover the pork, and refrigerate.

4. Combine mayonnaise and remaining chili garlic sauce mixture; cover and refrigerate.

5. Cut each baguette horizontally, cutting to, but not through, other side using a serrated knife. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on cut sides of baguettes. Thinly slice pork; divide pork evenly between baguettes. Top evenly with carrot mixture. Arrange 8 cucumber slices and 8 cilantro sprigs on each baguette. Top evenly with onions and jalapeño. Press top gently to close; cut each baguette into 4 equal servings.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 343 (22% from fat)

Fat: 8.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 3.2g)

Protein: 17.5g

Carbohydrate: 50.2g

Fiber: 4.2g

Cholesterol: 37mg

Iron: 2.1mg

Sodium: 721mg

Calcium: 20mg

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2008