Banh Mi Salad Bowl with Doodles Creek Sriracha Mayonnaise

Sponsored by Doodles Creek

“Why are all those people lining up outside that shop Mum?” Skater asked me a few years ago. Each time we passed the tiny shop front on Illawarra Road in Marrickville there were no fewer than 18 people queued  at any time of the day.

At the time, I had no idea why they were lined up, but as each person left the shop, they had a white paper bag and a big smile. I had not yet been introduced to the Vietnamese Banh Mi Roll so I figured it was time. I took my turn in the line and when I  finally reached the front I stepped up peered into the doorway. There was  barely space to stand inside the tiny shop front yet there were three women behind the counter tongs at the ready to take my order.  The glass counters were filled with exotic looking pork slices, soy cooked chicken, mountains of salad, pates, stacks of crispy looking bread rolls and a container of chilli flecked dressing. There was barely time to think as the tongs snapped and I was asked what I wanted. With time in the line you are expected to be ready.

All was revealed in that first bite. An incredibly healthy, stingingly chilli hot roll filled with chicken or pork and big enough to feed two. I have since stood in a lot of these lines around Sydney, waiting for my hit.

I was asked to write a recipe with the new Doodles Creek Sriracha Mayonnaise this week. The first thing that came to my head when I tasted it was a Banh Mi Roll. I think it’s because the chilli in it has that zing of fresh chilli but without numbing the lips. One of the components of a Banh Mi roll is mayonnaise and of course chilli, so I came up with this Banh Mi salad bowl using the Doodles Creek Sriracha mayonnaise. It has everything I love in the roll version including the crunchy bread roll. They are just broken into croutons and the creaminess of the mayonnaise is heavenly.

Before I give you the key to this most amazing salad bowl I want to just tell you something about Doodles Creek Mayonnaises. They make small batch whole egg mayonnaise. The cutely named Doodles Creek is made in New South Wales and it is the brain child of Sarah Ross who was not happy with commercial mayonnaises and in 2002 decided to make her own natural sauces. Over the years bearnaise, seafood sauce, salsa verde and now Sriracha Chilli flavour and Black garlic are part of the family.  There have since been others entering the market, but none in my opinion are quite as good as hers.  This is what I did with my jars, I am sure you could think of lots more ways to use yours. I am going to include a bonus recipe at the end of this post using the black garlic mayonnaise.

Banh Mi Salad Bowl with Sriracha Mayonnaise

When you can't stand in line but need a hit of Banh Mi. This salad will help you recreate that taste at home with the help of Doodles Creek. This salad needs a delicious soy poached chicken and an amazing chilli soy dressing. This recipe uses Australian cup measurements)

5 from 1 vote

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Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Poached Chicken

• 500 gm chicken thigh fillet
• 250 ml chicken stock 1 cup
• 1 clove garlic large
• 1 Tablespoon ginger grated
• 20 ml Soy Sauce light ( 1 tablespoon)

Soy dressing

• 120 ml chicken stock- poaching stock saved from above 9 6 tablespoons
• 20 ml Soy Sauce 1 Tablespoon
• 20 ml fish sauce 1 tablespoon
• 5 gm sugar 1 teaspoon
• 20 ml lemon Juice 1 Tablespoon
• Chopped chilli to taste or about 1 teaspoon

Salad

• 1 whole large carrot julienne or coarsely grated
• 1/2 whole iceberg lettuce ( or 4 cups) sliced finely
• 3 stalks green onion (scallion)
• 2 pieces cucumber Lebanese are best, cut into green bean lengths or enough for 4 each
• 1 bunch coriander washed picked
• 1 each bread roll. This must be a light crunchy one. This is the type of roll you can get from a Vietnamese bakery and sometimesthe supermarket. It is very light and crispy
• 1 jar Doodles Creek Sriracha mayonnaise or similar 400 gm

Instructions

 

• Oven temperature 180 C/ 350 F
• Put the chicken into a wide bottomed pot and cover with the stock, garlic,ginger, soy and a small pinch of salt . Put the lid on and bring slowly to a simmer slowly with out letting it boil furiously (10 minutes).
• Leave with the lid on and let it stand till you prepare the salad.
• Break up the bread roll with your hands into small chunks for croutons and roast in the oven till golden and crispy. Approximately 5-8 minutes, cool.
• Cut all of the salad ingredients and set aside ready in piles. Grated carrot, cucumber fingers- cut the cucumbers into the lengths you want and then divide into half then quarters. Cut the shallots in to lengths ( I don't use the whites), slice the lettuce and pick the coriander.
• Now take out a piece of chicken and slice it making sure it is cooked through and has no pink bits left. ( If it has you must put it back on and simmer to done).
• Take the chicken out of the pot and slice all of it setting aside with your salad ingredients.
• Make the dressing with the 6 tablespoons of chicken poaching liquid, lemon, soy, fish sauce and sugar, adding chilli only if you want extra kick.
• Now make up your bowls by putting down the lettuce, then to one side add grated carrot, cucumber and shallots and put the sliced chicken on the other side. Sprinkle liberally with dressing and croutons and coriander last.
• Serve with large dollops of Doodles Creek Sriracha Mayonnaise

Check this recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms

You can buy  Doodles Creek at your Deli or a farmers market near you.