Grand Central Market welcomed acclaimed cookbook author Andrea Nguyen last Friday in a recipe showcase featuring the subject of her latest book: the Vietnamese banh mi.

For those unfamiliar with this traditional Vietnamese dish, the banh mi is a sandwich assembled on a French roll or baguette and filled with some form of marinated meat or poultry, cilantro, shredded pickled daikon radish and carrots.

This refreshing combination of ingredients makes for an incredibly “nimble” sandwich, as Nguyen describes, for creative minds in the kitchen. Stacks of her new book, The Banh Mi Handbook, sat at a table next to her presentational spread for the evening: a jar of pickled radish and carrots, an array of hot sauces and many other ingredients she uses to make a banh mi. She explained to a group of hungry attendees the ins and outs of a great banh mi, giving tips on an exact 2-to-1 ratio she has for daikon radish to carrots, the very particular order in which she builds her sandwich and her fondness of Ralph’s baguettes. 

This refreshing combination of ingredients makes for an incredibly “nimble” sandwich, as Nguyen describes, for creative minds in the kitchen. Stacks of her new book, The Banh Mi Handbook, sat at a table next to her presentational spread for the evening: a jar of pickled radish and carrots, an array of hot sauces and many other ingredients she uses to make a banh mi. She explained to a group of hungry attendees the ins and outs of a great banh mi, giving tips on an exact 2-to-1 ratio she has for daikon radish to carrots, the very particular order in which she builds her sandwich and her fondness of Ralph’s baguettes. 

The night also featured the creative concoctions of various Grand Central Market vendors. Samples of their dishes were available in sparing amounts for those who attended the showcase, and it was clear that many wished there was more of the delicious food to go around.

Available on Banh Mi Day only, the chefs at Eggslut offered an Asian Omelet Banh Mi, which was so popular that it sold out before the shop even closed for the day. Fortunately, I visited another notable spot at Grand Central called BelCampo Meat Co., which featured a duck banh mi, and snagged the very last one for the night. The duck was the focus on the dish, while everything else remained fairly traditional in order to showcase the high quality meat. The crunchiness of the duck skin and the addition of a tasty duck pâté spread made for a wholesome, satisfying sandwich.

Still hungry, I visited Horse Thief BBQ, located at the back corner of the market, which has open air seating and a lovely view of the famous Angel’s Flight just across the street. Horse Thief developed a pork belly banh mi, a sandwich I will have dreams about until we meet next. A rich and hearty protein source, the gloriously-charred pork belly was laid out in generous and tender slices. Crumbled pork rinds, also known as "chicharon," balanced the juicy pork slices and a tangy pork sauce, all of which created a glorious symphony of textures and flavors in my mouth. 

Valerie at Grand Central Market created a unique smoked salmon banh mi on ciabatta bread. I spoke with the shop's owner, Valerie Gordon, about her innovative substitution of meat with the fatty, luscious smoked salmon.

“I wanted something that would hold up to all that spice," Gordon said. "Something you can sink your teeth into.”

She accomplished just that with her carefully crafted version of the banh mi, one that was by far one of my favorites of the night. The smoked salmon paired well with the traditional daikon and carrots, but also had a garlic aoili of sorts that balanced the flavors very well.

In her speech to market-goers, Nguyen described the banh mi's versatility and ease. 

“There’s something magical about when those ingredients are layered in that fashion,” she said.

When I spoke to Nguyen later in the night, I had the exceptional experience of finding out that she is a fellow Trojan. A graduate of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Marshall School of Business, she wanted to create “engaging food” that told a story and "push the agenda for Asian food in America, to de-mystify it, because it’s been so marginalized.”

Banh Mi Day at Grand Central Market demonstrated how Los Angeles’s melting pot of cultures and cuisines inspires people to come together to celebrate a great meal, and how you don't have to look very far to find creative twists on a traditional dish.
 

Contact Staff Reporter Giselle Dizon here.