Jessica Nguyen's Fried Egg Bánh Mì
It's the perfect brunch food to share with family and friends.
Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favorite home cooks. For this instalment, Melbourne-based home cook and influencer Jessica Nguyen, shares her recipe for a fried egg bánh mì that's perfect for a weekend brunch.
Fresh, crunchy, and flavourful, there's much to love about bánh mì. This Vietnamese sandwich represents a unique fusion in Vietnamese cuisine. When French colonials entered Vietnam in the late 18th century, they influenced local food habits and introduced French bread to the country. This resulted in Asian flavours (coriander, pickles, chilli, and fish sauce) being combined with French baguettes to create the much-loved sandwiches, bánh mì.
It's a delightful meshing of culinary worlds that results in a deliciously savoury meal that's perfect for a casual lunch or, in home cook Jessica Nguyen's case, the perfect brunch food. Her vegetarian take on the sandwich is comprised of baguettes smothered in mayo and filled with a medley of fresh ingredients like cucumber, chilli, pickled carrot, and a fried egg. It's so delicious we guarantee it won't disappoint.
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Ingredients
- 2 baguettes, cut into thirds to make 6 baguette rolls
- 6 eggs
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced into long batons
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1 small bunch spring onions, cut into 4 inch lengths
- 1 fresh birds eye chilli, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 6 tsp chilli oil
For the mayonnaise
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
For the pickled carrot
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup warm water
- 1⁄4 white sugar
Prepare your pickled carrot by dissolving your sugar in warm water and white vinegar.
Place your julienned carrots into the pickling liquid and allow to soak for at least 20 minutes to infuse. You can place any leftovers in a jar submerged in the liquid in the fridge to use over the next month or so.
Prepare the mayonnaise by beating your egg yolks until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in your olive oil a tablespoon at a time, whisking until the oil is emulsified. Season with salt. You can also save any leftovers in the fridge to use in your meals for up to a week.
Fry your eggs sunny side up, cracking into a hot pan with oil, turning down the heat to medium-low frying for a few minutes or until the bottom is crispy and the whites are no longer transparent.
Drain the carrots from the pickling liquid on a paper towel before assembly so they don’t make the bánh mì soggy.
Assemble the bánh mì by smearing the mayonnaise onto the bread.
Place in 1-3 sticks of cucumber, 2 spring onion sprigs, 1 fried egg, 2 tablespoons worth of pickled carrots, and some fresh chilli and cilantro to your liking.
Spoon over a few teaspoons of soy sauce and chilli oil.
Serve and enjoy!
For more from Jessica, follow her at @jessica_nguyen_
Photography Hannah Blackmore. Styling Jackie Brown.
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