Banh Mi

I’m trying to revolutionise my lunches – no more buying sandwiches if I can help it. When I went back to work it seemed quite exciting being in London and being able to buy lunch from countless food outlets, but I’m well and truly over that now – it’s expensive and boring. The other day I went into 5 different shops and couldn’t even see one thing I wanted to eat! So as a result, I’m experimenting with some more unusual sandwich options. Banh Mi is a Vietnamese special and features a crispy baguette filled with chicken/pork, mayo, chilli sauce, salad and pickled veg. Here’s my veggie version with avocado and chargrilled red pepper, and rather delicious it was too. The homemade radish and carrot pickle only takes minutes to make but is essential to the overall flavour.

Banh Mi

For the pickle:

• 1 carrot, shaved with a peeler
• 4 radish, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water

– Massage the salt and 1 tsp sugar into the shredded veg, then rinse and drain
– Place the sugar, vinegar and water in a bowl. Stir until the sugar has dissolved
– Add the veg and leave to marinade for about half an hour.

For the sandwich:

• 1 ready to bake baguette
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (dairy and egg-free if required)
• 4 pieces roasted red pepper antipasti
• 6 slices cucumber
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• 1 spring onion, shredded
• 1/2 the carrot and radish pickle
• 4 dashes hot sauce
• Coriander leaves

– Assemble as desired