Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Piquillo Pepper Num Pangs

I made homemade Kaiser rolls, and I had a plan for them. I had been thinking about these sandwiches on Kaiser rolls for a year, or the recipe had been sitting in my files for that long anyway. Last September, these num pangs appeared in Food and Wine, and the combination of big flavors and crisp vegetables was something I wanted to try. They could have been made with just about any roll, and semolina baguettes were suggested as another option, but they were shown on Kaiser rolls which seemed just right. There’s a lot going on in these sandwiches. The julienned carrots aren’t just raw carrots. They’re crisped in vinegar with a little sugar. And, the pesto is no standard pesto. It’s made with Thai basil and spiked with anchovies, lime juice, and fish sauce. That’s not all. While plain mayonnaise would have been good, drizzled with sriracha, it was even better.

So, to make those quick-pickled carrots, cider vinegar and sugar were combined and the julienned carrot sticks were tossed in the mixture. That was left at room temperature for an hour and stirred from time to time. The pesto was made by whizzing the following in a food processor: Thai basil leaves, anchovies, lime juice, fish sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped garlic. The Kaiser rolls were split, toasted, and buttered, and then it was time to build sandwiches. One side of each roll was spread with mayonnaise and drizzled with sriracha, and the other side was topped with pesto. The sandwich was layered with thinly sliced cucumber, piquillo peppers, carrots, and cilantro leaves.

This sandwich has been by far my favorite use of these Kaiser rolls. For a sandwich full of vegetables, the flavor was incredible. The smokiness from the piquillos was a nice touch, but even raw red bell pepper strips would have been great. I definitely recommend the pesto, and there’s a tip in the recipe intro for a quicker version. Store-bought basil pesto could be doctored by adding chiles, lime juice, and fish sauce for a similar result. I also wouldn’t skip the sriracha on the mayonnaise. In fact, that will be appearing on almost all of my future sandwiches.



25 comments:

  1. Still haven't tried that piquillo pepper that has been temp me since you blog about it a while back.

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  2. Wow, I've never heard of a num pang but they look like a delicious, zesty sandwich!

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  3. Those look fabulous! I love that filling.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Lisa you made your own rolls...I am impressed and using the piquillo peppes. Piquillos are my favorite...I grew up with them and I used them in so many ways. Great post.

    I am going to try to visit you more often. I have been quite active in so many projects.

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  5. Oh Lisa great choice for your Kaiser rolls! I can see how these would absolutely sing with flavour! :D

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  6. Lisa,
    Those kaisers look as good as any NYC bakery!
    Fantastic! I am so bread challenged. :<

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  7. I knew you were going to come up with some amazing sandwich after the homemade Kaiser rolls!

    I remember this recipe from F&W, I wanted to make it sometime, but forgot all about it.

    Great post!

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  8. Scrumptious sandwiches, especially with the piquillo peppers!

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  9. I can't believe I missed this recipe in the magazine, as I adore Viet sandwiches from our local mom-and-pop shops here. I'm definitely going to have to try this.

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  10. Pigpig: Yep, num pangs are Cambodian sandwiches, and this was kind of a fusion twist on the theme. Delicious!

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  11. Perfect use for your kaiser rolls, Lisa! What a fabulous sandwich. And I am crazy about the name. Num pangs. New one on me....I love learning new things like this!

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  12. O that looks like a perfect sandwich Lisa and so healthy too!! Love it!

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  13. Ooh this is like a version of the Vietnamese banh mi. Your roll look lovely!

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  14. How can you resist something called num pangs? Those look so beautiful with the bright peppers and the delicate cilantro. You showed a lot of temperance, holding off for a year :)

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  15. wow! These really look luscious. I have never heard of this before and now I can't wait to try it.

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  16. great sandwich and with your homemade bread, even better..yummy

    sweetlife

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  17. Num pangs sound so intriguing, and yours are fabulous Lisa. LOVE the flavours and the filling. You make me hungry!!

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  18. Num pangs is new to me...looks really great! Now I feel hungry.

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  19. There's nothing like yummy sandwiches.. Num pangs are new to me too..., but I do love piquillo peppers, so I'm in.

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  20. I am so not a sandwich person. Veg options are usually so boring but this looks absolutely amazing. I'm always on the lookout for something that I can serve at the quarterly yoga retreats and this could really work.

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  21. forget pork barbecue and cole slaw, this is how i'd eat those kaiser rolls! what a gorgeous sandwich, lisa!

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  22. I love the combination of flavors in that sammie!

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  23. I met the chef that provided this recipe to Food & Wine. Num Pang - the sandwich shop is one of my favorites in NY. I bet that this is very good!

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  24. and another amazing recipe - love the look of this sandwich and imagine the fresh crisp flavors it must have. Yum!

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