Vietnamese Charred Pork Baguette with Pickled Veg Recipe

If you’re looking for a healthy lunch recipe but are bored with your usual options, why not give this Vietnamese dish a go?

With plenty of spice, hoisin sauce and soy sauce, this sandwich is full of flavour and you’ll not forget it in a hurry.

HOW TO MAKE WATERCRESS SOUP

Ingredients

For the pork marinade

• 200g (7oz) British pork fillet, cut into very thin slices
• 1tbsp each soy sauce and honey
• 1½tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 star anise
• 1tsp Thai 7 spice
• 1tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1tsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

For the pickled vegetables

• 50ml (2fl oz) rice wine vinegar
• 1tbsp sugar
• 1tsp salt
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and ribboned with a vegetable peeler
• 75g (3oz) radishes, very thinly sliced

To serve

• 2 part-baked baguettes, cooked and halved
• 8 triangles of The Laughing Cow cheese (this is what they use in Vietnam!)
• handful each mint and coriander leaves
• lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients and toss the pork in them. Cover and leave to marinate for a few hours, or overnight if you can. For the pickled veg, mix the rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt, and add the veg. Leave to pickle for a couple of hours, then squeeze out the excess liquid. These will keep overnight, but the colour will alter slightly.
2. When ready to cook the pork, shake off the excess marinade and transfer the liquid to a saucepan. Fry the pork for 1 minute on each side until blackened and cooked through.
3. While it's cooking, boil the marinade on the hob until you have a thick syrup consistency.
4. Spread 2 triangles of cheese on to each baguette and top with slices of pork, a drizzle of the reduced marinade, pickled veg and herbs. Serve with lime wedges. These are best eaten immediately, but can be kept for up to 6 hours.