I’m so excited to be working with Land O’Lakes this year to share some recipes and one of my favorite things in life, butter. This year, I’ve partnered with Land O Lakes® Butter and Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, together to bring you Kitchen Conversations. We have three other fabulous food bloggers joining the conversations: Brenda from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles, Sommer from A Spicy Perspective and Maria from Two Peas & Their Pod. The goal of the Conversations is to inspire home cooks to feel more confident in the kitchen and to provide a platform to learn from each other’s hits and misses.
You can follow the food-filled conversation and recipe ideas through the hashtag #KtchnConvo on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Of course, I’ll also keep you up to date through ongoing blog posts and recipes on The Little Kitchen!
So, our first topic of conversation is food trends. What is inspiring you in your kitchen? Each blogger took a different food trend and created a signature recipe to share. Check out all the creative recipe ideas from the Kitchen Conversation bloggers on landolakes.com.
There are a bunch of food trends every year, but the one that’s most relevant to me is incorporating Asian cooking. As some of you know, I’m Vietnamese and I’m definitely seeing Asian influences in fashion, in décor, and—in a big way—in food.
If you have never heard of a banh mi before, I'll tell you about them. Banh mis are the Vietnamese's equivalent of a submarine sandwich – and usually includes paté and cha which is a Vietnamese pork cold cut. I don't eat pork so I haven't had an authentic banh mi in a longgg time! This beef version is inspired by a visit to a banh mi shop in Orlando – they do an Americanized version and put a fried egg on top and I just had to recreate it!
Pickled Carrots and Daikon – first things first, prep the veggies, I used a julienne slicer for these and set them aside for two hours. (This is my Mom's recipe for quick pickled carrots & daikon.)
I'm lucky to have a couple of lemongrass plants in my backyard, thanks to friends who gave me parts of their plant last year to start me off. You can also find lemongrass at Asian grocery stores, fresh or frozen. If you can't find it, substitute with a little bit of lemon zest.
Cut off the ends and then cut the lemongrass in half lengthwise and in half again.
And then chop into as small pieces as you can.
Next cut the beef across the grain and then chop into smaller pieces. Marinate beef with lemongrass, sesame oil, salt and pepper.
I love these half sticks of Land O Lakes® Butter! A lot of the time, I only need one tablespoon or half a stick, and it’s much easier than a full stick (most of the time). I say “most of the time” because sometimes I’ll use a full stick for a recipe.
For this recipe, I used a Land O Lakes® Salted Butter half stick.
Melt Land O Lakes® Salted Butter in a nonstick skillet.
Add the beef and cook until all of the juices disappear and the beef is browned.
Looks perfect.
Prep your hoagie rolls by slicing them and add the beef and the toppings including Land O Lakes® Muenster cheese (this is the Americanizing part, there usually isn't cheese in Vietnamese banh mis), sliced jalapenos, cilantro, cucumbers and of course the pickled vegetables.
Fry one or two eggs at a time in a Land O Lakes® Salted Butter and top the banh mis.
Honestly, put a fried egg on top of anything and I'm there. Do you feel the same way? These sandwiches are fantastic…I can't wait to make them again!
Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi Recipe
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup daikon, white radish, cut into matchsticks
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemongrass, chopped fine
- 1 pound beef sirloin top filet, cut across the grain and chopped small
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 half stick, 4 Tablespoons Land O Lakes® Salted Butter
- 2 foot long hoagie rolls
- 2 small cucumbers, sliced into spears
- cilantro
- 2 slices of Land O Lakes® Muenster Cheese
- 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
- 4 eggs
Instructions
How to Make Pickled Carrots and Daikon
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Add carrots and daikon and cover and set aside for at least 2 hours.
- In another medium-sized bowl, add beef, lemongrass, sesame oil, salt & pepper. Allow the beef to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- In a nonstick skillet, melt one tablespoon of Land O Lakes® Salted Butter on medium heat. Add half of the beef and cook until all of the juices disappear and the beef is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove beef from skillet and wipe clean with paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon Land O Lakes® Salted Butter and cook the other half of the beef. Remove beef from skillet and turn off heat. Wipe clean with paper towel again.
- Cut hoagie rolls in half so that you have 4 separate sandwiches. Then, slice lengthwise and add beef. Layer ingredients starting with cheese, cucumber spears, pickled vegetables, jalapenos and cilantro.
- Add 1/2 or 1 tablespoon of Land O Lakes® Salted Butter (depending on one egg or two eggs at a time) to the skillet and turn on heat at medium low. Crack egg and place in skillet, being careful not to break the yolk. Fry the egg until desired runniness is reached, usually about 2 to 4 minutes. Place egg on top of banh mi sandwich and enjoy! (Repeat with the remaining eggs.)
What’s your favorite food trend for 2013? Here are a few more tips for incorporating food trends into your everyday cooking.
If you have a picky eater in your house like I do, try mixing a new ingredient with ones they already know and love.
For example, usually Curtis would turn his nose up at pickled vegetables (except for regular pickles), but because this banh mi involves beef, lemongrass and cheese, kind of like a cheesesteak, which he knows and loves, I was able to get him to try the pickled carrots and daikon, and he actually liked it!
I love to incorporate new trends by mixing up a classic recipe. One example of this is making baked mac and cheese with panko bread crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.
I love, love doing this. Another example is making fried zucchini with panko breadcrumbs!
Making a meal plan for the week over the weekend makes it really easy to incorporate new things and trends into your weeknight meals.
I like to make a list of meals for the week on Saturday or Sunday, and then I’ll make a grocery list based on those meals. Makes it so much easier during the week!
I’m constantly inspired by new trends and the meals I have at restaurants and try to blend them into meals I make at home.
So much so that I keep lists in my Evernote app to keep track of my ideas. I even take pictures of menus so I have all of the information I need for inspiration to try them at home!
Try to keep it simple by taking shortcuts with some ingredients (such as stocks and broths) but at the same time using fresh ingredients when you can.
Sometimes we don’t have hours to cook a weeknight meal. I think it’s fine to take shortcuts, but don’t scrimp on your favorite ingredients like butter and cheese!
I'm excited to share with you this wonderful giveaway from Land O'Lakes which includes a Le Creuset cast iron skillet and some fun goodies from Anthropologie and of course…Land O Lakes® Butter! To enter, hop on over to the giveaway.
Disclosure: I've partnered with Land O'Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversation blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes. I always share my own honest opinions and only work with brands that I love.
kelley {mountain mama cooks} says
Yes! These look amazing! I love lemongrass!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
The egg oozing is absolute perfect! Beautiful, Julie! 🙂
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
What a colorful sandwich! So pretty. I’ve never tried banh mi but there are a lot of shops around here that sell them. I’ll have to give them a try!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Oh my gosh, Julie, I think that is the most beautiful sandwich I have ever seen! The colors just pop. What an awesome idea!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
That is one gorgeous bahn mi. I adore the fried egg too!
Carolyn says
I’d have to skip the bread, but the rest of this looks awesome!
Erika @ The Hopeless Housewife says
What an amazing sandwich!
Shari | Tickled Red says
Oh my goodness thank you for the intro to Banh Mi! That looks amazing. And yes fried egg on anything is awesome 😀
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
This look glorious! I’m with you, a fried egg with a runny yolk makes everything better, after all, it’s natures perfect sauce.
Linda | The Urban Mrs says
I vote for lemongrass beef banh mi with fried egg on top! This is actually our family favorite’s wuick brunch menu since there’s a vietnamese sandwich shop close to where my mom lives. But now there’s no reason for not testing this recipe on my own! Yumm!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Oh yeah, with a fried egg on top, I’m there too! And this bahn mi – YES! Banh mi is my absolute favorite but I never get to have it as much as I want to. That needs to change with this homemade version here.
Thanks for the tip on the evernote btw. I try to jot down food trends here and there but they all get lost at some point!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Yeah I’m with you, plop a fried or poached egg on anything and I’m happy!
Koko @ Koko Likes says
This looks divine Julie, SOOO delicious!
Meghan @JaMonkey says
This looks devine!
Christy @ My Invisible Crown says
This looks amazing! So flavorful and I LOVE anything using lemongrass!
naomi says
These look great, Julie. Fried egg on it is new to me-must try!
Jeanette says
A Vietnamese friend of mine introduced me to banh mi about 6 years ago – we used to drive to a little Vietnamese market that brought in fresh banh mi from New York City – it was always such a treat!
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says
Wow! This looks awesome, Julie, and I can practically taste how tender that beef is from the photo alone.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I have a weird thing for banh mi. Despite not eating meat, well… I’m kind of a sucker for these sandwiches and once in a while when Eric gets one I’ll have a bite too. This looks awesome!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
yum Julie! Looks great!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
You had me at fried egg on top! YUM!
Jenny @ BAKE says
This sandwich looks incredible!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I love Vietnamese foods, but have never tried Banh Mi because we rarely indulge in pork and don’t eat beef at all. But this definitely got me drooling. With the egg atop! Oh my 🙂
Terri C says
This looks so good, wish I could get my eggs to look that pretty 🙂
Kim Beaulieu says
Julie this is spectacular. My hubby is an egg guy and would love this. Caught my attention on G+ so had to pop over.
Mommynamedapril says
I tried my first bahn mi this weekend and it was AWESOME! Love the giveaway. You have the best affiliations :-)))
Gloria @ Simply Gloria says
Oh my! That is the best looking sandwich! I’m putting this on my list! (=
Suzanne @ kokocooks says
Yummmm!!! I love making banh mi, but never knew how to make the pickled carrots and daikon. I always bought them premade at the Asian grocery. Beautiful photos!
ErinsFoodFiles says
What a gorgeous, delicious looking sandwich!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
This is the most beautiful banh mi I’ve ever seen! Love all of those vivid colors.
Looking forward to these Land O’ Lakes conversations! 🙂
Deborah Rosen says
I have never tried Banh Mi but it looks so good, I’m going to put it on our menu this month. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Sommer@ASP says
Julie, Vietnamese food is by far my favorite global cuisine–I am just dieing over this sandwich!
Diane {Created by Diane} says
looks fantastic, wish I had one right now!
Jen @ Savory Simple says
holy crap this looks good
addie | culicurious says
This banh mi looks delicious, Julie! Love the beef substitution. Great ideas/info with the food trends too. thanks for sharing 🙂
Carla @ Carlas Confections says
I love sandwiches! So this is definitely a winner for me! The fried egg on top looks so perfect too. Yummm
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Yeah, you don’t need to sell me on the fried egg, I do that whenever I can 🙂 Great sandwich and love the idea of Land O’ Lakes gig!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Love this recipe! All the colors and flavors – one fabulous sandwich, Julie!
Meghan says
Do you deliver?! Great idea to make this and it looks fantastic! All about the fried egg on top!
katie says
Julie… I have a confession… I’ve never tried a Banh Mi sandwich before… I think we need a date STAT! Or a cooking date. lol. I’m not a lover of eggs but Jon is and he would be all over this sandwich. Beautiful photos as always!
Julie Deily says
Umm, yes we need to fix this fast!!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Will you make this for me some day, Julie, with an extra big helping of pickled carrots?! What an awesome sandwich. Love that fried egg on top! 🙂
Sydney @ Crepes of Wrath says
Fried eggs are nature’s perfect sauce, and this sandwich is calling my name! The beef looks perfectly tender, the quick pickles look bright and fresh, and this sandwich…well…I need to make it soon!
Joanne @ Fifteen Spatulas says
Look at those photos! What fancy knife skills you have 😉 Love this beautiful banh mi recipe you’ve shared…and the fried egg on top is brilliant.
Cookbook Queen says
Not only do these look super yum, but I love all the colors!! Can’t see what other recipes you share with butter 🙂 And I need to look into that app!!
Monica says
Your banh mi looks delicious!! Almost everything benefits from a fried egg on top! That is a great touch. I’m glad to find a recipe for this sandwich here…my family would definitely enjoy it.