Banh Mi -

by Emily

Food Porn of the Day: The Porkiest Belly

Pork belly is definitely a thing these days. So much of a thing that I’m almost… dare I say… over it. (Gasp!) Every menu in Austin, and probably in the country, is full of the stuff. It takes a veeeery special pork belly to catch my eye these days. All that being said, the pork belly at Odd Duck in Austin does it. “It” being “catches my eye and makes me care about pig again.”

The above is Odd Duck’s pork belly banh mi buns, which I devoured at lunch a week-ish ago. The meat is perfectly prepared and intensely flavorful. Chewy, yet somehow also melts in your mouth. By the way, next time you’re in Austin? Go to Odd Duck. You won’t regret it.

by hungry monster

Super Snacks: Banh Mi Waffle Fry Nachos

So, there’s like some sort of sporting event coming up soon. I did some Googling and it turns out it is called the “Super Bowl.” Huh. Sounds like an excuse to make some fancy nachos to me.

I’m kidding. I know what the Super Bowl is. And I know that nachos must be present. Sometimes sandwiches are invited to the party, as well. These nachos are a reinterpretation of a banh mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich of grilled meats and pickled vegetables. But, since I have no bread in the house besides 45-calorie sliced bread (Thanks a lot, Sarah Lee, nobody does it like you, you know) and my pantry looks like a mystery basket from Chopped, I decided to do this thing. I pickled vegetables. That’s a phrase I’ve never uttered. I also used my crockpot to make an Asian marinated pork loin. Surely these things belong on waffle fries, sprinkled with cheese.

Yes, it was meant to be.

Banh Mi Waffle Fry Nachos

Celebs Eat Just Like Us: Mindy Kaling’s Chicken Banh Mi Fixings

Funny girl Mindy Kaling is just like us. She loves eggplant parm sandwiches. She just doesn’t want to spend hours trickin’ out that greasy, cheesy Italian-American staple.

Instead, she quickly tops store-bought rotisserie chicken with a few fresh ingredients for a Banh Mi. While nothing Mindy adds to the sandwich is particularly intriguing—cucumbers, cilantro, Sriracha—her “pickled” carrots deserve a mention.

Sliced “picked” carrots (I quickly julienne two carrots and put them in a tupperware with rice vinegar and a half-teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt).

Who wants to deal with real pickling? Real canning? Ugh. Do like Mindy. Quickly pickle.

(Photo: The Concerns of Mindy Kaling)

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