KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — It wasn’t really love at first sight... more, first bite. Hurrying down the crowded street of Chinatown in Perth, I was desperate to find something quick that would pacify the rumbles of my empty tummy.

I spotted people emerging with sandwiches of some sort from a Vietnamese stall, and I proceeded to order “one of those.” One bite was all it took to stop me dead in my tracks.

Banh mi, as I found out later, is a mouth-watering Vietnamese-meets-French sandwich, a product of the French colonisation on Vietnam.

It has pickled carrots and radish, flavourful minced pork, chillies, Dijon mustard and fried egg, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh coriander and slices of chillies, all of these sandwiched in a light, airy Vietnamese baguette which had been halved, hollowed and slathered generously with thick mayonnaise.

This light Vietnamese baguette is slightly crisp and crusty on the outside and delicately soft on the inside. The pickled carrots and radish give the sandwich a gratifying crunch and an exotic taste, whereas the mayonnaise gives it a richness.

The coriander provides a refreshing herby flavour that beautifully complements the other ingredients, and it succeeds in enhancing the meaty flavour of the minced pork. According to the older folks who lived way back when the French were still in Vietnam, only the rich French who were missing the taste of home could afford this sandwich originally stuffed with pate and other imported ingredients.

Once the French left, the Vietnamese went on to give it a cheaper and more appetising makeover, introducing pickled vegetables and infusing them with authentic Vietnamese flavours such as fish sauce. The result? Paradise at first bite!

This sandwich is not only simple to prepare, it is also a delight for your taste buds. The numerous fillings make it a perfect replacement for a hearty meal, and is guaranteed to make you sigh with pleasure.

Banh mi, anyone?

Banh mi

1 large baguette slightly toasted and almost sliced into halves

500gm pork belly roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp palm sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Dash of black pepper

1 chilly, seeds removed and thinly sliced

2 eggs, fried

Mayonnaise

Handful of coriander, roughly chopped

For pickled carrots and daikon:

1 carrot, grated coarsely

1/4 daikon, grated coarsely

1/4 cup vinegar

3 tbsp sugar

Instructions

For the pickled carrots and daikon, mix carrots, daikon, vinegar and sugar in a clean bowl. Marinade mixture for about an hour. Strain and set it aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over high heat.

Add garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add chopped pork, dark soy sauce, palm sugar, fish sauce and pepper and fry until pork soaks up the sauce.

To assemble, spread mayonnaise on baguette. Layer with half a fried egg, followed by chopped pork, pickled carrots and daikon, chillies and lastly coriander.

Repeat for 2nd, 3rd and 4th Banh mi.

Eat with your hands