Vietnamese

In Vietnamese, "banh mi" is the word for bread. However, it also refers to a sandwich featuring chicken, pork, or tofu and crunchy pickled vegetables. For our own version, we started by making crispy, flavorful tofu. We sliced the tofu into sandwich-size slabs and drained them on paper towels to make it easier to get a crispy crust. Then we dredged the slabs in cornstarch and seared them in a hot skillet until they were nicely browned. For the vegetables, we quick-pickled cucumber slices and shredded carrot in lime juice and our vegetarian fish sauce substitute.

In an interview with "The Sriracha Cookbook" author Randy Clemens, he told me that when they did the photos for his book, he was surprised that everyone devoured a big bowl of tropical fruit salad with sriracha-sesame vinaigrette.

Clemens, 26, a California-based culinary school grad, came up with endless dishes on which to add some sauce, including grits, cornbread, butter, sour cream, and salt.

He said that the sauce is popular all over Thailand and Vietnam. One Thai brand he particularly likes is called Shark, which has a sweetness plus a kick.

Salty, spicy, and sweet versions of this recipe start the same way.