Num Pang

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork shoulder, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup julienned carrot
• 1 cup julienned daikon radish
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar, for pickling
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, for pickling
• 4 small baguettes or baguette lengths
• Mayonnaise, for spreading
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked
• 1 red chili, thinly sliced
• Maggi seasoning or soy sauce, to finish

Before you cook

• Combine the garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and five-spice powder in a bowl and add the sliced pork, tossing to coat.
• Cover and marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Combine the julienned carrot and daikon with the rice vinegar, pickling sugar and pickling salt in a separate bowl.
• Let the vegetables pickle at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, tossing once.

Steps

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering.
2. Lay the marinated pork slices in the hot pan in a single layer.
3. Sear the pork for 2 minutes without moving it.
4. Flip the pork and cook for another 2 minutes, until caramelized at the edges and cooked through.
5. Slice each baguette open lengthwise without cutting all the way through.
6. Spread mayonnaise generously over both cut sides of the bread.
7. Lift the pickled carrot and daikon from their liquid and lay a portion inside each baguette.
8. Arrange the cucumber slices over the pickles.
9. Pile the hot seared pork into the baguette.
10. Scatter cilantro leaves and sliced chili over the pork.
11. Finish with a few drops of Maggi seasoning or soy sauce before closing the sandwich.