Tuesday 10 April 2007

Banh mi lover


(THIS POST IS A COPY-AND-PASTE JOB FROM AN OLD ENTRY ON MY OTHER BLOG)
I have just discovered a useless fact that the 'butter' I had been eaten as a kid in Vietnam wasn't actually butter. The soft, spreadable yellowy stuff that they normally spread on banh mi was actually ghee, an Indian clarified butter.
Apparently ghee was made by simmering butter in a pan until all water has boiled off and protein settled to the bottom. It does taste slightly different from normal butter.
Since I have been in the UK I have never attempted to make a proper banh mi. I have eaten baguettes as a substitute for banh mi but for some reasons ham and cheese baguette still doesn't taste as good as a banh mi cha lua. I suppose it's mostly to do with the fact that it is always more comforting to eat your 'childhood food'.
When I was at junior high school my grandma always made me banh mi for my lunch. The fillings were varied, ranging from the simple cha lua to siu mai in tomato sauce and sometimes spicy beef. Yummy. Just thinking about it made my mouth water again.


banh mi

3 comments:

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Hey, Found you by way of Teczcape.

Actually, that spread in banh mi isn't ghee. It's VNese mayonnaise - a mixture of egg and oil. :)

Hedgehog said...

d'oh, thanks for the info

A. Rizzi said...

love the banh mi xiu mai!! It's all about the bread those..to soft and crumbly and the whole creation is ruined. keep it crispy!!!