Saigon Special Bánh Mì

Foie Gras Pâté, Shredd Chicken, Char Siu, Mayonnaise, and Pickled Vegetables

Chef Carol Nguyen of Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen | Dallas

Adapted by StarChefs | December 2021

INGREDIENTS:

Foie Gras Pâté:
1 whole duck liver
5 cups whole milk
100 grams white bread, crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
250 grams butter
1 medium-sized white onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
3 ounces Hennessy XO Cognac

Char Siu:
2 pounds skinless pork belly, cleaned 
Salt
1 pack Lobo roast red pork seasoning mix

Mayonnaise:
3 egg yolks
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon sugar
300 grams avocado oil

Pickled Vegetables:
2 large daikon radishes, cut to a ⅓-inch width and 3-to-4-inch length
4 large carrots, cut to a ⅓-inch width and 3-to-4-inch length
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon salt
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar

To Assemble and Serve:
1 baguette, split lengthwise
Jalapeño, sliced
Cucumber,  cut to a ⅓-inch width and 3-to-4-inch length
Cilantro
Shredded chicken
Maggi Seasoning

METHOD:

For the Foie Gras Pâté:
In a large bowl, cover duck liver in 4 cups milk. Let soak overnight in fridge. In a separate bowl, cover cubed bread in remaining milk and allow to sit. Drain off milk from soaked liver, pat dry, and cut into 1-centimeter-thick slices. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until lightly browned. Add duck liver, cubed bread, white pepper, and bouillon and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add Hennessy, and let cool completely. Transfer mixture to a Vitamix blender and blend until the pâté is creamy and smooth. Pour into a tray or nonreactive container and cover. Refrigerate for 6 hours.

For the Char Siu:
Wash pork belly in salt water then pat dry. Marinate pork belly in seasoning mix with water for at least 5 hours. Heat oven to 325℉. Roast marinated pork for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350℉ and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Fully wrap pork belly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Thinly slice. 

For the Mayonnaise:
In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add yolks, salt, lime, and sugar. On medium speed, whisk 5 minutes. Slowly stream in avocado oil. Whisk on high speed until creamy, soft, and light yellow.

For the Pickled Vegetables:
In a medium-sized container, soak daikon and carrots in 3 cups ice water and ½ cup salt for at least 30 minutes. In a separate large container, combine white vinegar, sugar, remaining salt, and 3 cups water. Add vegetables and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Spread Mayonnaise on one side of the baguette and Foie Gras Pâté on the other side. Fill baguette with Char Siu, Pickled Vegetables, jalapeño, cucumber, cilantro, shredded chicken, and Maggi Seasoning.

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