Banh Mi - Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich

Despite the exotic name of this sandwich, you can get all the ingredients right at the supermarket. Liverwurst stands in for the traditional pork-pâté filling—the meatiness works beautifully with the sharp-flavored vegetables and fresh cilantro. Learn the story behind this dish in our series The Recipe.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. 1/2 lb daikon, peeled
2. 1 carrot, peeled
3. 1/2 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 1 (24-inch) soft baguette
6. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7. 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
8. 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
9. 1/4 lb liverwurst
10. 2 fresh jalapeños, thinly sliced
11. 1/2 sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch rings
12. 3/4 cup packed cilantro sprigs
13. 2 cooked chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken, thinly sliced
14. Lettuce leaves
15. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
2. Shred daikon and carrot in a food processor fitted with medium shredding disk. Stir together vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss with shredded vegetables. Let slaw stand, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat baguette on rack in oven until crusty, about 5 minutes. Cut off and discard round ends, then split baguette.
4. Mix together oil, fish sauce, and soy sauce and brush on cut sides of bread. Spread liverwurst on bottom layer of bread and top with chiles, onion, and cilantro.
5. Drain slaw in a colander.
6. Arrange chicken, slaw, and lettuce on cilantro. Spread top layer of bread with mayonnaise and cut sandwich crosswise into fourths.

Notes