Lemon Grass Chicken Bahn Mi

(NC)—The combination of exotic flavours and fresh crunch in this sandwich is sure to delight any palate. Just one bite will have you hooked on this delicious Vietnamese-inspired bahn mi, created by Eva Fong of Burnaby, British Columbia, a finalist in the D’Italiano Cook-Off Challenge. More tasty recipes can be found online at www.ditaliano.ca.

Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Chicken:

2 stalks lemon grass
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks green onion, minced
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp (5 mL) sambal sauce (or adjust to taste)
2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce
4 small half chicken breasts, lightly pounded with flat mallet

Sweet Chili Cilantro Mayo:

1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
2 tsp (10 mL) sambal sauce
3 tbsp (45 mL) cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste

Asian Coleslaw:

3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/2 lb (250 g) shredded cabbage
1/2 lb (250 g) shredded carrots
4 D’Italiano sausage buns, toasted

Directions:

1. Remove the outer 2 to 3 layers of the lemongrass stalk and cut the tender middle section into 1-inch pieces. Bruise the lemon grass.

2. In a bowl, combine bruised lemon grass, garlic, green onion, black pepper, sambal sauce, sugar, salt, oil and fish sauce. Thoroughly coat chicken in mixture and marinate for 30 minutes, or overnight if possible.

3. To make the sweet chili cilantro mayo, combine the mayonnaise, honey, sambal sauce, cilantro and salt in a small mixing bowl.

4. For the coleslaw dressing, in a separate small bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, lime juice and salt. Pour on shredded cabbage and carrots, and toss to coat.

5. Remove chicken from marinade and scrape the bits off the chicken before cooking. In a large non-stick fry pan, heat oil for 1 minute and add the marinated chicken. Fry for 15 minutes on medium heat, turning halfway through. Remove from heat and set aside for a couple of minutes.

6. Spread sweet chili cilantro mayo on both sides of the toasted D’Italiano buns. Slice chicken and place on bun. Finish with Asian coleslaw and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

Source: www.newscanada.com

More tempting sandwich ideas:

Butter Roasted Mushroom Sandwich
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Walnut Aioli
Open Face Steak Sandwich with Walnut Kimchi Slaw
Tuna melt sandwich
Barbecue Chicken Sandwich

Plus see what else is cooking in our in recipes archive.