Lunch: Banh Mi

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Lemon

Health benefits of Banh Mi

Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, and other antioxidants. They can potentially support the immune system and have other health benefits. Lemons also have a low glycemic index, so they should not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar when consumed in natural form.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 to 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 rounded tablespoons sugar
2 stalks lemongrass, finely grated on a microplane
1 bird's eye chile (Thai chile), chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 pounds pork tenderloin or pork shoulder, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

For the wok-fried pork: Combine the fish sauce, garlic, shallot, soy sauce, sugar, lemongrass, chile and lime juice in a large bowl and toss together. Add the pork and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil to the wok. Transfer the pork to the wok with tongs, adding a few spoonfuls of the marinade for flavoring. Fry the pork until cooked through and slightly wok-charred.
For the daikon and carrot pickle: Combine the vinegar, sugar, carrots, daikon and lime juice in a bowl. Let sit for at least 1 hour.
For the chicken liver pate: Heat the oil and butter in a cast iron skillet and sweat the shallots. Add the chicken livers, thyme and eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken livers are just cooked through and remove from heat. Add the brandy and ignite carefully with a long match. Let the flame die down. Return to the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly and remove the thyme sprigs.
Puree the pate in a food processor and transfer to a storage container, pressing out all the air. Cover the surface of the pate with plastic wrap to store.
Make the sandwiches: Hollow out the baguette by scooping out the excess bread from the middle. Spread 1/4 cup of the pate along the bottom half of the bread and spread the unsalted butter along the top half of the bread (reserve the remaining pate for another use). Add the wok-fried pork, 1 cup of the pickled daikon and carrot and garnish with cilantro, scallions, chopped chili and sriracha to taste if using.
Slice the baguette into 4 pieces and serve immediately.
NotesThe Food Network Kitchens recommend that when igniting alcohol, use extreme caution. Remove the pan from the heat source before adding the alcohol. Pour the alcohol into the pan and ignite with a match or click lighter. Return the pan to the stove top and gently swirl to reduce the flames.