Chapter 01 · Chopped Sandwiches
Banh Mi Chop
Crunchy, spicy, tangy, and nobody had to turn on anything.

- Time
- 20 MIN
- Serves
- 4
- Skill
- CHEF'S KNIFE
- Tools
- KNIFE, BOARD, BOWL, PEELER
- Heat
- Warm
- Protein
- Bring your own
The Vietnamese sandwich runs on contrast: rich meat, sharp quick pickles, cool cucumber, hot chile, fresh herbs. The pickles take ten minutes in the bowl while you chop everything else. A whole rotisserie chicken stands in for the roast pork, which is why this one serves 4.
The lineup
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 6 radishes, sliced thin
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sriracha, or to taste
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from the bone (about 4 cups)
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced thin
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
- 4 small baguette rolls, split
The chop
- Toss the carrot, radishes, vinegar, sugar and salt in the bowl. Let sit 10 minutes while you prep the rest.
- Lift the pickles onto the board, leaving the liquid in the bowl.
- Whisk the mayonnaise, sriracha and soy sauce into the pickle liquid.
- Pile the chicken, cucumber, jalapeno and cilantro on the board with the pickles and rough chop.
- Scrape everything into the bowl and toss until coated.
- Taste, add more sriracha if you want it hotter, and pack into the rolls.
The extras
Dodge the Carbs
Skip the roll and the sugar: eat it as a slaw bowl or wrap it in butter lettuce.
Future You
The pickles keep a week in their liquid. The dressed filling is best the day it is made.
Show Off
Add a few fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of lime.
Flavor Bomb
Swap the chicken for 1 lb of cooked shrimp, rough chopped. Finish with a zigzag of Spicy Mayo or a spoonful of chili crisp.
Heat Dial
Mild: leave out the jalapeno and use plain mayonnaise. Warm: as written. Hot: jalapeno seeds in, and sriracha at the table.
Keep Your Fingers
Chile oil lingers. Wash your hands after the jalapeno and keep them away from your eyes.


