Coaching Cooking

Lately, I’ve found myself using hoisin sauce a lot in seasoning various meat dishes. Hoisin sauce can both be found at Asian grocery stores and some supermarket chains. I think the flavor complements just about any meat and it has a good balance of sweet and salty flavors. Hoisin sauce is made from soybeans, garlic, sesame seeds, wheat flour, chili pepper and other spices. It is typically used to flavor Peking duck, mu shu dishes and barbequed meats. I also like to use it in stir fry dishes.

Jenny’s Hoisin Pork Sandwich
This sandwich is a twist on the classic Vietnamese sandwich which incorporates French baguette, sliced pork, fresh cilantro, marinated carrots and daikon and mayonnaise.

Ingredients: For two sandwiches…
1 pound of thin slices of pork sauteed with onion and hoisin sauce (recipe to follow)
1 or 1 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce (any kind works although I prefer butter lettuce or romaine lettuce)
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro sprigs
Mayonnaise, to taste

Directions:

For the pork, use a fattier cut of meat like pork shoulder or pork ribs (the boneless kind). Slice some onion into thin slices. Thinly slice the raw pork meat and saute it with the onion in a nonstick pan with a little cooking oil and two tablespoons of hoisin sauce per pound of meat. The hoisin sauce should be added after the pork has cooked for a few minutes so that sauce doesn’t stick to the pan.

While the pork cooks, finely chop the lettuce and reserve in a small bowl. Also, wash the cilantro, dry it and separate the cilantro leaves into small clumps (about three leaves per “clump”) and reserve in another small bowl..

The pork, because it is sliced thinly, should take about five minutes to cook. It will look dark from the hoisin sauce. Add more sauce if the pork seems underdressed. Transfer the cooked pork and onions to a small plate or bowl.

Baguettes generally work best in this sandwich although you can also use a Kaiser roll or a round sandwich roll. Lately, I’ve been fanatical about the baguettes from La Brea bakery. They are sold frozen and partially baked at Whole Foods for about $5 for a bag of four. If you have the opportunity to try these baguettes, I highly recommend them! They cook perfectly in the oven every time and the outside crust has a crunch that balances the soft bread inside perfectly.

Prepare the bread by toasting it lightly and cutting it lengthwise. Line the inside of the baguette with cilantro, lettuce and mayonnaise to taste. Add the pork and onions and cut each sandwich in half.

This recipe can be adapted to make one or more sandwiches depending on how much pork you cook. I like this sandwich with potato chips, vegetable chips or Robert’s Tings (these chips are terrific if you like crunchy, Cheetos-like chips that are all natural).

As for beverage compliments, I like to eat this sandwich with a spicy ginger ale or a sparkling fruit drink. Beer is also a clear match.

Note: for those who like a bit more spice, I also recommend sauteeing the pork with a little Tabasco or Asian hot chili sauce like Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.