Sandpoint has a wealth of delicious food, but through the course of my travels in and out of the country, I’ve experienced the sheer, scrumptious diversity that’s out there — and, admittedly, I’ve become spoiled. That’s a good problem to have until you’re craving something that Sandpoint just doesn’t have. For me, that’s Vietnamese food.
Admittedly, Beet and Basil has some good options, but my budget can only take so much eating out. That’s why I turned to the internet and the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard for help when I was craving a bánh mì. The result is a sweet, spicy, fresh, creamy, light, crunchy chicken sandwich that tastes like sunshine. Depending on how you load up with your ingredients, this yields four servings.
Ingredients:
Chimichurri-ish • ½ cup basil • ½ cup cilantro • ⅛ cup olive oil • ⅛ cup red wine vinegar • 1 clove of garlic • 1 jalapeño (or poblano, halved, for less spice) • 1 tsp salt
Chicken • 2 skinless chicken breasts • ½ cup honey • 1 lime, juiced • 1 jalapeño (or poblano, halved) • 2 tablespoons fish sauce • 3 tablespoons sesame oil • 2 tbs Thai red curry paste • Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings • Baguette • 3 large carrots • 1 cucumber • 1 avocado • 1 tbs Thai red curry paste • ½ cup mayonnaise • 2 tbs Sriracha • 1 tsp lime juice • ½ tsp soy sauce • 2 tsp white sugar • Rice vinegar • Hoisin sauce
Instructions:
The night before or the morning of the feast, slice the carrots into long, thin strips and add them to a shallow, lidded container. Cover with rice vinegar and sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar and sesame seeds. Leave the carrots to pickle.
Depending on the desired spice, remove the seeds from the jalapeño or poblano, then leave it raw or roast it on the stove or in the oven. Slice and add to a blender or food processor with the basil, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt, and pulse until it resembles a chunky sauce. Refrigerate.
In a small bowl, combine the honey, lime, fish sauce, pepper and red curry paste. Dice another jalapeño or half a poblano, this time leaving it raw, and add it to the mixture. Pour the mixture tino a saucepan and bring it to a simmer, letting it cook for 10 minutes or until it reduces by half.
At the same time, cut the chicken into long, thin slices that will stack easily on your sandwich. Season it with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sesame oil into a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken strips and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Add the reduced sauce and finish the chicken over medium-low heat for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small bowl, combine red curry paste with mayonnaise, Sriracha, lime juice and soy sauce. Slice the avocado and cucumber lengthwise and add them to a plate with additional basil leaves. Cut the baguette into six-inch pieces, then slice each piece in half and toast both sides.
To assemble, spread a thin layer of spicy mayo on both sides of the toasted baguette. Add a heaping helping of the chimichurri to one side and avocado slices to the other, mushing them down with a fork to keep the layers from sliding too much. Layer the basil leaves, cucumber, chicken and carrots and finish with a drizzle of hoisin sauce.
Enjoy this with plenty of spare napkins.
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