Name: Vietnamese Roast Pork Banh Mi
Total time: 3 h
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: Banh mi bread, or French baguettes; Mayonnaise; Cilantro, coriander; Cucumber, cut into batons; Green onions, cut into batons; Bird's eye chili, sliced; Maggi seasoning, to taste; 250 g Chicken livers, trimmed; 200 ml Milk; 150 g Butter, divided; 1 clove Garlic; 1 Bay leaf; 2 Shallots, thinly sliced; 50 ml Brandy; Salt and black pepper, to taste; 1 Daikon radish, cut into matchsticks; 2 Carrots, cut into matchsticks; 1 tbsp Sea salt; 1 cup Caster sugar; 1 cup White distilled vinegar; 1 cup Water; 1-2 kg Pork belly, 1kg will make 6-8 banh mi; 3 tbsp Salt; 1 tsp Peanut oil, or other frying oil

Method

8 steps. Tap one to mark it done.

Combine the carrots and daikon radish in a bowl, tossing them with sea salt, then let them stand for 30 minutes. During this time, whisk the caster sugar, white distilled vinegar, and water together to dissolve the sugar. Squeeze any liquid out of the salted vegetables, immerse them completely in this pickling mixture, and refrigerate them overnight.
Pierce the skin of the pork belly many times. Rub a generous amount of salt onto the skin side, then keep it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to dry the surface.
Wash the chicken livers with cold running water, transfer them to a bowl, and cover completely with milk. Keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 24 hours. After soaking, pour off the liquid, rinse the livers again, remove any visible tendons or veins, and use paper towels to dry them thoroughly.
Gently melt 100g of the butter using low heat, ensuring it does not separate or boil, and put it to one side. Heat 30g of the leftover butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the sliced shallots, garlic, and bay leaf together with a pinch of salt until the shallots soften and turn clear without browning. Take this mixture out of the pan and keep it aside.
Place the last 20g of butter into the same skillet to melt. When it bubbles, put in the livers and add salt. Let them sear for 4 minutes before turning them over to cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Put the cooked shallots back in, add the brandy to loosen the browned bits, and heat until the liquid is nearly gone.
Put the liver and shallots into a food processor to puree for 1 minute. While the blades are turning, gradually drizzle the warm melted butter inside until the mixture is completely smooth and combined. Process for another 30 seconds, add salt and black pepper to taste, and transfer to a clean container. Keep in the refrigerator for 3 hours or longer to firm up.
Heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Wipe away the extra salt from the pork belly skin and dry it off. Apply the peanut oil over the skin and add another light sprinkling of salt. Bake for 1.5 hours, evaluating how it looks after 1 hour has passed. Switch the oven setting to grill (broil) at 240°C (460°F) and monitor it carefully until the skin becomes thoroughly bubbled and crunchy. Allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes before cutting into slices.
Heat the bread rolls in an oven set to 180°C (350°F) for 3 to 4 minutes until they are highly crisp. Cut them open, then coat the bottom half with a thick layer of pate and the top half with mayonnaise. Fill the sandwiches with fresh cilantro, pieces of roast pork, cucumber, green onions, the prepared pickled vegetables, and sliced bird's eye chili. Finish with a drizzle of Maggi seasoning to your preference and serve right away.