Banh-Mi Style Vietnamese Baguette

Ingredients

• 2 portobellos mushroom caps , sliced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 carrot , sliced into sticks
• 1 daikon (white) radish , sliced into sticks
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 0.5 cups fresh lime juice
• 0.5 cups cold water
• 0.5 cups chilled lime juice
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon nuoc mam , Vietnamese fish sauce
• 0.5 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 0.33 cups white sugar
• 0.33 cups cold water
• 1 jalapeno pepper , thinly sliced
• 8 sprigs fresh cilantro with stems
• 1 medium cucumber , sliced into thin strips
• 2 sprigs fresh Thai basil
• 2 , 7 inch

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then slice into strips.

2. 2

   While the mushrooms are roasting, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Plunge the carrot and radish sticks into the boiling water and after a few seconds, remove them and plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. In a separate bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, 1/2 cup of lime juice and 1/2 cup cold water. Transfer the carrot and radish to the vinegar and lime marinade and let them soak for at least 15 minutes, longer if it's convenient.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, stir together the remaining lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water. This is the sandwich sauce.

4. 4

   To assemble sandwiches, sprinkle a little of the sandwich sauce onto each half of the French loaves. Place the roasted mushrooms onto the bottom half of each roll and sprinkle with a little more sauce. Top with a few slices of jalapeno, a few sticks of carrot and radish (minus the marinade), cucumber, basil and cilantro. Close with the tops of the bread and serve.