Since college, I’ve had a rule about where I reside: it must be within walking distance to at least one Vietnamese restaurant. I can’t get enough of those fresh flavors (hello, fish sauce, jalapeños, and Five Spice). My nutritionist friend might make fun of me for this, but when I used to travel a lot for work and consume a lot of super fancy, fatty restaurant dinners with clients (hello, expense reports), my first stop upon returning home had to be the local Vietnamese restaurant for my “healthy cleanse” of pho and spring rolls.

These days, one of my favorite local Vietnamese joints is a place called Little Vietnam Cafe in The Richmond District of San Francisco. The good news is that it appears Uber Eats is delivering it during this difficult time. While they have excellent spring rolls (including a whole case of pre-made versions to grab and go— you can get chicken, shrimp, pork, beef or tofu!), what they’re really known for is their banh mi.

If you’re like me and you’ve stocked up on a lot of vegetables that need to be used before they go bad, you might want to consider pickling some and then using them to make delicious Bahn Mi-inspired sandwich or salad. 

Recipe

Pickled Veggies

Ingredients (Note: all of these are optional based on personal preferences)

1-2 jalapeño(s), sliced

1 daikon radish, julienned (or just make ribbons with your vegetable peeler)

2 carrots, julienned (or just make ribbons with your vegetable peeler)

2-3 garlic cloves, smashed (for pickling flavor, not your sandwich)

1 tablespoon Kosher salt (I prefer Diamond)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a Ball jar, seal, and shake vigorously. Refrigerate (turn on its side so the juices are touching maximum ingredients, turning once or twice for at least 30 minutes before using. 

Sandwich Assembly

Ingredients

2 pieces of your favorite bread, toasted (I like La Brea Bakery Whole Grain loaf or  try a French baguette for a more traditional version)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Sriracha (adjust to your spice level)

1 teaspoon Five Spice Powder (I prefer Penzeys)

1 poached chicken thigh, sliced

2 romaine leaves or mixed greens

Pickled veggies

Cilantro stems and leaves (optional)

Preparation

Mix Sriracha and mayonnaise together and spread on bread. Sprinkle Five Spice powder on chicken place on top of bread. Top with desired amount of lettuce, pickled veggies, cilantro (at least a couple of sprigs).

Don’t have/eat bread? No problem! Serve over a bed of lettuce, using your Sriracha mayo as dressing.