Receta Vietnamese Banh Mi with Pickled Carrots
Marcus's sisters, Marcus and their Mother.Marcus Samuelson is the
Ethiopian-born chef who was adopted by his Swedish parents, Lennart and Anne
Marie, in 1972 at age 2. He was orphaned when his mother died in a tuberculosis
epidemic, leaving Marcus and his sister, also adopted by the Samuelssons, alone
in a hospital in Addis Ababa. Marcus went to live with his new parents in
Göteborg (Gothenburg). However, it was
not his mother who inspired the man to become the extraordinary chef Marcus has become.
It was
his grandmother or Mormor (mother’s mother in Swedish) whom he followed into
the kitchen from about age 8. She taught
him the basics of great home cooking.
And there was nothing she didn’t make. Jams, pickles and bread were constantly being prepared,
large cuts of meat were broken down into chops and roasts. Marcus’ childhood Saturdays were filled with
helping his Mormor out in the kitchen.
Professionally , Marcus first studied at the
Culinary Institute in Göteberg
and from there he went on to ‘stage’ in very impressive kitchens in Switzerland
and Austria. Finally, in 1991 he arrived
in New York City where, in just a few years time and at the age of just 24, he became Executive Chef at
“Aquavit”. There, the Chef became the youngest
ever to be given three stars by the New York Times. You can read his fascinating story in “Yes,
Chef”( Random House 2013), his memoir. I
brought and read the book with me on our most recent trip to St.
Barthelemy. And I brought a little
Marcus Samuelson to the table…or more properly, I brought Mormor to the
table. And she was hardly the first
Swede to contribute to the magical island.
Christopher ColumbusSt.
Barthelemy was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the
New World in 1493. He didn’t actually drop
anchor but he did sail past and name the island for his brother
Bartolomeo. St. Barth, as it is commonly
known, was but one of the startling number of island sighted and named on this voyage. There
was Dominica and Marie Galante, which he named Santa María la Galante, Guadeloupe (Santa María de Guadalupe), Santa María
de Montserrat (Montserrat), Santa María la Antigua (Antigua), Santa María la Redonda (Saint
Martin), and Santa Cruz
(Saint Croix). He also sighted and named the
island chain of the Santa Úrsula y
las Once Mil Vírgenes (the Virgin
Islands), and named the
islands of Virgen Gorda. He continued to the Greater
Antilles, and landed on
the island of San Juan Bautista, present day Puerto
Rico, on November 19,
1493. Too bad he didn’t have the smarts
just to stay put on St. Barth where I am sure he could have happily retired.
The Flag of St. Barthelemy.
Note the Fleur de Lys for France and
the 3 crowns for Sweden
Ouanalao is the Carib Indian Name for
the island.St. Barth wasn’t
settled until 1648, when French colonists from St. Kitts arrived only to have
their settlement destroyed by Carib Indians who killed them all and put their
heads on poles on what is now L’Orient Beach to discourage anyone else from
coming ashore. And it was fully 107 years before anyone did. French mariners from Normandy and Brittany
created a successful colony. French
Buccaneers loved the place and its harbor, bringing in plunder they’d lifted
from Spanish galleons. The Swedish Consulate in GustaviaThe Buccaneers
eventually settled down and became good citizens. The island was too small and too rocky so
that it escaped the scourge of slavery that powered the sugar plantations on
larger, more verdant islands. There was
a brief British military takeover in 1758 but St. Barth remained resolutely
French until 1784. Suddenly, one of
Louis 16th's ministers sold the island to, ta-da, Sweden (!) in
exchange for trading rights in the port of Gothenberg, Marcus Samuelsson’s
hometown! St. Barth became, and still
is, a free port. Sweden gave Gustavia
its name and much later the name of its airport, Gustaf III . It celebrates
another Swedish King on the Rue de Oscar II. For 100 years it remained in
Swedish hands until it was bought back by France in 1878. Whether Marcus
Samuelsson’s Mormor would feel at home on this intensely French island is
questionable. But I know for sure that Mormor’s instructions on how to pickle
made an unforgettable sandwich, a Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi.
And what is a Banh
Mi? The actual translation of Banh Mi is
the Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread.
During the French colonial period, the baguette was introduced into the
country. As it is most commonly made in
Vietnam, the baguette is a single serving loaf making it ideal for making
sandwiches of any kind. There’s
- basically nothing you can’t put into a Banh Mi. The list of fillings includes steamed,
- pan-roasted or oven roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled
- pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pate, grilled chicken, canned
- sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese,
- fried eggs and tofu. But to these
- ingredients, a true Banh Mi needs at least some fresh cucumber slices,
- cilantro, pickled carrots and or shredded daikon. To those ingredients, the condiments are
- also used: spicy chili sauce, sliced chilies, mayonnaise and cheese. With that treasury of fillings and vegetables
- and condiments, you can pretty well put anything into them. Our preference is for cooked sausage and a
- piece of ham topped with a slice of paté which is then topped with pickled
- carrots and sliced jalapenos (if we have them). And to whom do we turn for our pickled carrot
- recipe than Marcus Samuelsson’s Mormor.
- In all honesty, this
- is not a pickle that Mormor would have produced. But it uses her admonition of a 1-2-3
- solution. 1 Part vinegar, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts water. In Sweden the vinegar would be ättika, which is beechwood based vinegar
- known for its sinus clearing properties. The sugar would likely have been
- white. And the water straight from the
- tap. In St. Barthelemy, there was no
- ättika to be had. Instead I went for a Canne de Sucre (Sugar Cane) vinegar that was seasoned with scallions (Cive). I also used the ‘sugar in the
- raw’, unrefined sugar which is common on the island. Finally, I went with bottled water just because
- that is what we drink. The results were
- remarkable. A sweet and sour pickle that
- looked beautiful, tasted remarkable and made a perfect Banh Mi. Here’s the recipe:
- Recipe for Marcus
- Samuelsson’s Mormor’s Pickled Carrots à la St. Barth
- 1 large Carrot, peeled sliced into coins or julienned.
- 1 cups of Vinegar (your choice)
- In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar and water. Bring to
- a boil. Add the carrots. Reduce the heat
and simmer for 15 minutes.
You can store the carrots in their liquid. They’ll keep for weeks.