The LA Sandwich

I thought long and hard on what to call this sandwich. An Asian taco? A Mexican bao? Everything that went into the sandwich is a reflection of the gorgeously diverse cultures of Los Angeles, so the LA Sandwich it is! Wrapped inside pillowy Chinese steamed buns, the chicken is a blend of Korean and Mexican flavors, adapted from the true LA son himself, chef Roy Choi, and accompanied by crunchy and refreshing coleslaw (I used this recipe by Inspired Taste). You may choose to add kimchi instead of coleslaw, or just plain lettuce. The steamed buns can be found in your local Asian market (usually by the refrigerated tofu section) or if you are as diligent as my friend Cecylia in Norway, you can easily make your own!

Recipe adapted from Roy Choi’s carne asada recipe.

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The LA Sandwich

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese, Korean, Mexican

Servings 6

Author Eat the Wind

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken breasts, 2 lbs roughly 2 pairs
• 12 Chinese steamed buns

Marinade:

• 6 cloves garlic peeled
• ½ large yellow onion peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• ½ Tablespoon cayenne pepper or to taste
• 2 jalapeno peppers or large green chilies stems removed and chopped
• ½ kiwi fruit peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ bunch cilantro
• ¼ cup mirin
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 orange separated
• Juice and zest of 2 limes separated
• ¾ cup of beer

Toppings:

• Homemade coleslaw

Instructions

• Blend the marinade ingredients together without the beer, and orange and lime zest. Taste to see if you want to add a bit more seasoning. Remove ½ cup of the marinade to serve as sauce. Then mix in the beer and citrus zest to the rest of the marinade.
• Marinade the chicken breasts for a minimum of 1 hour to a few hours.
• Heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil on a heavy grill pan. When the pan is hot, add the chicken breasts. Pan fry them on high heat for 5 minutes on one side, flip them over and fry them for another 5 minutes. Let them rest for around 10 minutes before slicing.
• If you are using store-bought buns, steam them over boiling water for about 5 to 10 minutes until soft. Add the chicken meat into the bun, spoon some sauce over it, and then top it with coleslaw or kimchi.
• Enjoy!