Bánh mì is a Vietnamese term for bread. It most often refers to sandwiches made with the French baguettes introduced during colonization. Bahn mi sandwiches typically include meat (minced pork, pork belly, sausage, etc.), Vietnamese vegetables (carrot, cucumber, daikon radish, cilantro, hot pepper), and French-inspired butter or mayonnaise. A French baguette is apparently not exactly like those found in Vietnam (it's a bit large and has too much bread per bite), but it'll do just fine, especially if you take a little off the bottom before slicing.

Let us just say – these things are DELICIOUS. It's a perfect combination of sweet and sour, very easy to make, and feels just right on a hot summer day. Feel free to experiment with seasonal vegetables. Grilled onions, peppers or summer squash would be nice. The key is for your vegetables to have the soft texture of pickles, which plays nicely off the crispy bread.

Quick-pickle your vegetables

• Combine the shredded vegetables in a bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and mix. Apply a little hand pressure – the goal is to pull some moisture out of the vegetables.
• Let sit in the fridge for an hour. Drain out any liquid.
• Add vinegar, sugar and (optionally) a tsp of soy sauce and/or a tsp of grated ginger.
• Cover and return to fridge for 1 hour.

Make Your Sandwiches

• Grill or heat your sausages. If you want to get a little more flavor in, split the sausages by slicing 3/4 of the way through lengthwise, and brush inside and out with the vinegar/sugar mix from your pickles before grilling.
• Slice and grill your baguette. Each roll should be about 6" long. If the baguette is a little thick for a comfortable bite, slice off some of the bottom, then split down the middle. Toast on the grill for a few minutes to get it nice and crispy.
• To each baguette, add a dollop of mayo, half your pickles, fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeños (optional) and make liberal use of Sriracha.