Banh Mi: A Love Story

Have you ever wondered what the Official Sandwich of the Huffington Post was? No? Well, neither have we. But if there was an Official Sandwich of the Huffington Post, we'd definitely nominate banh mi...a "Vietnamese hoagie" of fried pork bits, pickled vegetables and mayonnaise slathered on crusty baguette. You can join in the fun by making your own at home or keep reading for the best sandwiches in your city.

At home, an authentic tasting banh mi is surprisingly accessible, as easy as a trip to the closest supermarket. Start with a baguette, slice it in half lengthwise, hollow out some of the bread, and brush both halves with mayonnaise. For the meat, almost anything will work - leftover brisket or roast turkey, grilled pork or chicken, marinated tofu.

Luckily for those with or without head cheese on hand, the essence of the sandwich is not the meat, but in the garnishes: whole cilantro sprigs and pickles. All you really have to do is slice carrots and daikon radishes and soak them in vinegar and sugar.

Keep reading to find the best banh mi in Boston.
[Editor's note: we can not vouch for any of these banh mi establishments because we have not visited them. Yet.]

Or find the best banh mi in Philadelphia.

Or the best banh mi in Washington.

Or the best banh mi in Los Angeles (you'll have to scroll down to find it).

Or the best banh mi in Manhattan. (And this one, we can get behind.)

Or if you insist on trying this at home, here are some more recipes.

Traditional Banh Mi

Shrimp Banh Mi

Catfish Banh Mi

Banh Mi Ga (that's Chicken Banh Mi to Americans)

Read up on the history of banh mi.

How do you feel about about banh mi? Do you have any banh mi recipes or tips to share? Tell us below in comments.

Comments

[desertdweller]

03:28 PM on 02/29/2008

Banh mi is the bomb! Lee's Sandwiches (CA, AZ, OK, TX) has good ones. Grilled pork, sardines, wow! Wash it down with Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk.

[Nikelaus]

02:27 PM on 02/28/2008

They are totally great sandwiches­--and often dirt cheap as well.

[rini]

06:05 PM on 02/27/2008

Yeah,

looks really great for vegetarian­s, and the veggies are all pickled? Yech.

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

12:42 PM on 02/27/2008

Oh man, thanks. This looks so good, especially with the shredded pork. the pickles, the daikon. I am salivating­. I think I'll ignore my calorie intake and wash it down with a yummy yeasty ale.