Recipe: Dad’s pork belly sandwich

An com is a wonderful cookbook full of home-style Vietnamese dishes, with useful tips on ingredients and cooking methods. The recipes by Phi-Yen and her parents show you how to make Vietnamese (street food) classics at home, so you can make the most delicious spring rolls, spring rolls, sweet-and-sour fish soup, dipping sauces and crispy pancakes yourself, together with your loved ones.

Phi-Yen: ‘The first thing I eat when I’m in Vietnam is bánh mì. The airy bread with a perfectly crispy crust is not better anywhere than in Vietnam itself. Combined with marinated meat, pickled vegetables, cucumber and Maggi, you have the best-topped sandwich ever. My father came up with his own bánh mì hịt variation of a Vietnamese meat sandwich because my sister and I missed the bánh mìs from Vietnam so much. Nowhere else can you eat it this deliciously in the Netherlands.’

Turkish bread rolls

Making Vietnamese rolls yourself is quite labor-intensive, but for the ultimate bánh mì experience it’s important to have rolls that are as airy as possible. Turkish bakeries have rolls that come closest to this. So if you have a Turkish bakery nearby, it’s definitely worth getting your bread rolls there.

How to make a pork belly sandwich

• Cut the pork belly into 3 large pieces and soak for about 10 minutes in a bowl of generously salted water.
• Rinse the meat thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Make 1-centimeter-deep cuts all around the pork belly to allow the marinade to penetrate well. Do not cut into the skin.
• Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add to the meat and massage the marinade well into the meat with your hands. Leave the marinade to penetrate the meat for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Remove it from the refrigerator 15 minutes before frying.
• Heat the neutral oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes, until the pork belly turns yellowish. Add the coconut water, garlic and shallot to the pan. Cover the pan and let the meat simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Turn it regularly so that all sides cook evenly.

• Remove the lid from the pan when the meat is tender and the skin starts to turn golden brown, and turn the heat to medium-high. Let the coconut water reduce. Turn the meat regularly until all the coconut water has evaporated and the pork belly has developed a beautiful golden-brown color.
• This takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the thickness of the bottom of your pan. It can go quickly at the end, so stay nearby during the last 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into ½-centimeter slices.
• Meanwhile, prepare the remaining toppings. Finely chop the pickled vegetables if desired. Cut the cucumber into long, thin slices and halve the red chilies lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut the chilies into thin strips. Finely chop the cilantro.
• Cut open a bread roll and spread the inside with butter or mayonnaise. Drizzle with Maggi and add a little sriracha. Top first with the pickled vegetables and cucumber.
• Then place the pork belly on top and garnish with red chili and cilantro. Top the remaining rolls in the same way.

Title: An com
Author: Phi-Yen Phan
Price: €29,99
Publisher: Nijgh & van Ditmar

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Image: Mathilde Nai