Kimchee Banh Mi

     I was so pleased with the flavors of the Pork Meatball Banh Mi I made the other day that I decided to try another version: the Kimchee banh mi.  The original recipe came from The Guilty Carnivore, but, as so often happens, I did not have all necessary ingredients and so used what I had on hand. This makes for a new taste, but since I have no idea what the original tasted like, I never know how my version compares. I am satisfied with the results of operating this way.
                                              My Version Of Kimchee Banh Mi

serves 1 well ( 2 sandwiches)

1 pork chop ( or your preferred cut) or 1 chicken breast
MARINADE:
1 stalk lemongrass, crushed very well
3 cloves garlic, mashed
hot chilis, minced, to taste. I like the aji limon *
1/4tsp ground ginger - fresh if you have it
fish sauce - about 3T
1T sugar
1/8tsp sesame oil
1/4 onion powder
(* Actually, I like almost any of the Aji varieties. These are hot, fruity and sometimes a bit sweet peppers generally from South America. You will need to raise your own, as I have never seen them in stores here. And seed is hard to find. But their flavor is unlike anything I had ever tasted. If you order fron Seed Savers Exchange - a place I highly recommend for theor work with preserving seed diversity - the members will occasionally send additional seeds to try at no cost.)
Mix all ingredients together and marinate pork chop or chicken for 2-4 hours.

To make sandwich:

Toast baguette and, if you choose, remove some of bread to make a pocket to hold the meat.

a kimchee banh mi deconstructed

Add cucumber for crunch, a layer of kimchee - minus liquid , cilantro or parsley or basil. I tried this with and without a tiny bit of the hot chili mayo from the pork meatball banh mi. I did not like the mayo, but when I tried just the sriracha sauce - just a bit, that I liked (my kimchee is not very hot, so the sriracha added the heat.)

This is an interesting sandwich flavor. It is one you will either like or totally dislike! I enjoyed it. Leftovers are going to work with me tomorrow.

PS The korean banchan I promised is in the works.........

Oh... and be careful of where you put your recipes---I had a small bon fire going at my elbow. While making sweet potato gnocchi (see tomorrow's post), my recipes got too close to the flame. Not good.

I have thought to get together info on locating hard to find seeds to make available for readers. If anyone has a variety they would like to add to the list, let me know. It may take me a bit to gather company names. Thanks.