The First Sandwich I ever made

Well, I wasn’t planning to make sandwiches. I made some dips and mayonnaise for the first time, but my Chinese brain wouldn’t find a creative way to eat them, so they ended up in sandwiches. It actually tastes really good with whole wheat bread fresh baked from Cob’s Bread!( http://www.cobsbread.com/)

I started with Sesame and Lime Mayonnaise. I didn’t know mayonnaise are so easy to make: make 1 tablespoon of sesame, 1 garlic clove and a pinch of salt into a form of paste; add 3 organic egg yolks, 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice and a little pepper; use a mixer beat them until the mixture is frothy; slowly beat in 1 cup olive oil and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil; season to taste.

Addicted to the blender, I made Pistachio and Mint Salsa, according to Louise Pickford’s great Sauces book. I first blend 1/3 cup pistachio nuts, handful of fresh mint leaves, 1 garlic clove, 2 scallions and ½ cup olive oil. Then stir in 2 teaspoons of vinegar and season to taste.

Here is my fist ever sandwich: Sesame and Lime Mayonnaise, Pistachio and Mint Salsa, avocado and carrots on whole wheat bread with sesame seed. Of course, how can I forget about meat? I add generous amount of Prosciutto. The sandwich is full of goodies, maybe the taste is a big strong on the sesame side, but I like it!

My friend Eric told me about Japanese mayonnaise and it is very interesting.

“Japanese mayonnaise is typically made with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar and a small amount of MSG, which gives it a different flavor profile from mayonnaise made from distilled vinegar. It is most
often sold in soft plastic squeeze bottles. Its texture is thinner than most Western commercial
mayonnaises. A variety containing karashi (Japanese mustard) is also common. Apart from salads, it is popular with dishes such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki and yakisoba. It is sometimes served with cooked vegetables, or mixed with soy sauce or wasabi and used as dips. In the Tōkai region, it is a frequent condiment on hiyashi chuka (cold noodle salad). Kewpie (Q.P.) is the most popular brand of Japanese mayonnaise, advertised with a Kewpie doll logo. People who are known to like mayonnaise are commonly called mayoler (マヨラー) by their friends.”

Japanese also make Wasabi Mayonnaise. Since I don’t like wasabi, I hope someone else can try it and tell me….