DIY Banh-Mi

A few weeks ago, I had professionally-prepared banh-mi, but I found myself wondering if I might be able to make my own at home. After doing some web research, I assembled my list of ingredients and set out to get everything necessary.

The sandwiches are already multicultural - French imperialists left behind their bread baking skills in Southeast Asia, so the sandwiches require a crusty bun.
Where to turn but the local panadería?

Can I tell you how excited I am to have good crusty bread in the 'hood? These bolillos are fab.

The veggies: daikon from the Asian supermarket, pickled carrot/daikon in sushi vinegar, chopped scallions, and a tomato for good measure

Daikon is my new favorite vegetable. It doesn't hurt that I always think about this.

And a very important garnish: cilantro (also added lettuce)

I also added mayo and hot chili paste, and chopped up eggs and shrimp for the innards. After doing this a second time, I recommend pulling out excess bread from the inside of the bun, and making a paste of the mayo/chili/onion/pickled veggie that marinates for a while before going on the sandwich.

A bit more involved than a pbj but worth it for a weekend lunch.

Snacking in Chinatown

With Chinese New Year in the papers, I decided to head up to the North Austin Chinatown shopping center this past week. I wasn't the only one - the front end of MT Supermarket was even more crowded than usual, with lots of gawkers at the special New Year's sweets on display.

I also ducked into Short n' Sweet Cafe for a green milk bubble tea and some kind of very colorful rice & coconut dessert. I appreciated being able to choose unsweetened tea. The cafe also has ice cream, some candies/sweets in bulk, and a small selection of savory food.

Helpful hint: Children under 5 not suggest to eat.

The Cookbook Experiment

I'm temporarily living with my mom, which has given me access to her library of cookbooks, a small selection of which you can see in the picture below. She has been collecting cookbooks since her own young adulthood, and even has a few from my grandmother's generation. It's an astounding collection of recipes, tips, and other food-related wisdom.


In an effort to get to know these books better, I'm starting a semi-Julie/Julia inspired project to make one recipe from each of these books. Along the way, I'll rate the recipe on various factors (ease of preparation, availability of ingredients, tastiness of results, etc.)

First up, Paris Home Cooking, by Michael Roberts. I was wanting to make vichyssoise, never having had it but thinking leeks and potatoes would make a good midwinter soup, for an unusually cold and wet Austin February. Well, apparently the soup isn't French in origin, but I did find a hot potato and leek soup (not pureed).


It turned out well - even without the bacon the recipe called for. I had to make some substitutions for other ingredients: didn't use the exact type of wine called for; improvised an herb bag - not having cheesecloth - with a tea strainer; green onions rather than chives. Otherwise the recipe was fairly simple and ingredients not unreasonably exotic.

Ease of preparation: A- | Availability of ingredients: B+ | Taste: A

Dining Out: Thai Fresh

Thai Fresh, recently recognized by Bon Appétit, is a multi-purpose food-related endeavor, offering cooking classes, catering, a changing selection of prepared foods for dine-in or take-out, and even a few Thai cooking utensils for sale. They locally source many of their ingredients.

I went there recently with food blog compadre Citizen Taco, and sampled some of the dishes available from the deli. You can choose one, two or three items, and are given the choice of brown or white rice. About half the selections are vegetarian.

Tofu with green beans
(I also got a green curry, which I liked better but was less photogenic)

Two ice creams: Thai tea and black pepper

I was also offered sticky rice with my ice cream (I declined). The ice cream/sorbet selection had all kinds of interesting flavors, and would be even more appealing during Austin's long summer.