Pork Bánh Mì Royale-The Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 cups daikon , sliced thin with a mandoline
• 1 cup carrots, sliced thin with a mandoline
• 1/2 cup English cucumber, partially peeled, sliced thin with a mandolin
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger root, fresh
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pounds ground pork, Duroc if you can get it
• 6 whole hoagie rolls, or long crusty breads, cut up
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, or fresh shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 cup peanuts, salted, roasted, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
2. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the daikon, carrots and cucumbers. Let steep for at least an hour. Longer is better.
3. Mix the mayonnaise, Sriracha (one teaspoon at a time until desired heat) and sesame oil together.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add the onions and cook until slightly softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
6. Add the ginger and garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
7. Add wine and stir until wine cooks off.
8. Add 1/2 cup of the pickling liquid from the pickled vegetables and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, hoisin sauce and black pepper and stir to combine.
10. Simmer until reduced slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.
11. Add the ground pork, breaking up the meat a wooden spoon or spatula, and cook until the pork is cooked through and mixture
12. is thick, another 8-10 minutes.
13. If desired, in a large skillet, add two tablespoons butter over high heat until bubbly and pan is hot. Slice two hoagies
14. lengthwise and place cut-side down, into butter in pan. Swirl hoagies in pan to make sure bottoms of bread are coated with
15. butter. If pan is hot, hoagies bottoms should crisp up in just a minute or two. Check to see when the bottoms are perfectly
16. brown and crispy and remove from pan. Repeat the exact same process for the other four hoagies. Set aside.
17. Spread desired amount of spicy mayo on the bottom roll. Place some pork on top of that, top with some pickled vegetables,
18. cilantro leaves (or shredded lettuce), and finish with the chopped peanuts.
19. Grab with two hands, eat whole and close your eyes - this is a real treat!