Banh Mi? Bahn Maybe...

Like most in the Seattle area, I have an affinity for Asian food, whether that be Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai or Vietnamese.  My go-to in times of sickness is a steaming hot bowl of Pho.  My go-to restaurants with friends vary based on our similar loves - one friend and I always meet to share some Chinese, my work husband and I visit the local teriyaki joint at least once a week.

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is the bahn mi sandwich.  The tender meat partnered with the crisp pickled vegetables and perfectly crunchy bread always hits the spot.  I was so excited when the Banh Mi Handbook was released, I looked forward to getting my hands on it and trying my luck at home.

The Banh Mi Handbook is a smaller cookbook, but don't let size fool you.  This book is chalk full of recipes, stories and insight in sandwich variations.  It is the perfect size to be called a "handbook".

It provides you with options to fit your varying level of skill and/or time in the kitchen.  Don't have time to bake your own bread? Andrea Nguyen can give you pointers on which store bought breads to use.  Not sure about pickling your own vegetables? Suggests abound inside these covers!

Just like with any book, not every recipe tried was a hit. Some were lacking in flavor, others were too sour for my taste.  Although I appreciate the effort and variance, I found that many were just plain lackluster and sort of complicated to make.  It's a sandwich, how hard is it to assemble a sandwich?

I did not find the layout to be very user friendly, although I did appreciate the tangents the Chef takes you on as each was a step in their history.  I just wasn't in love with this book, or enough of the recipes, as much as I wish I had been, so I think I will stick to my local Vietnamese restaurant for my Asian sandwich fix.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.