Williamsburg’s Monarch (146 Metropolitan Ave.) recently launched a new and creative brunch menu, featuring Asian-inspired flavors, which is now available every day (except Wednesdays) from 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the restaurant.
This week’s addition to the Community Cookbook features one of Monarch’s popular brunch dishes, the Breakfast Banh Mi.
Co-owner of Monarch, Lawrence Elliott, said, “What we think sets our breakfast Banh Mi apart from others is the overall character of being fresh, light and flavorful, but also gratifying. It is made on house made Banh Mi bread…To us, the bread is often overlooked or just looked at as secondary to the other elements of a sandwich. We love bread and feel that the right bread can take a sandwich from good to exceptional.”
At Monarch, guests are able to substitute the omelet for chicken or grilled eggplant.
Learn how to make Monarch’s Breakfast Banh Mi below and find last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.
Breakfast Banh Mi from Monarch
This recipe yields one banh mi.
Ingredients
1 10-inch long piece of banh mi bread (Bread can be toasted or grilled. It should be crisp outside and not too dense like a baguette with a thin crust.)
3 tablespoons of mushroom pate (or 2 tablespoons of liver pate, if preferred)
¼ cup of julienned pickled carrot and daikon radish
2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeños
1 soft egg omelet
Ingredients for the omelet
½ tablespoon of butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of pickled vegetables
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro
5 dashes of Maggi sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cut the bread lengthwise, leaving a “hinge” so the parts are still connected.
- Open it up and lightly toast the bread. (Monarch recommends using a broiler to have the most similar results to salamander grill used in the restaurant.)
- Let it toast until it is crispy on the outside and just a little browned. Set aside.
- To make the omelet, heat a small nonstick pan over medium heat and add the butter.
- Mix the omelet ingredients together and pour into the pan when the butter is melted.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring with a spatula while moving the pan in circular motion.
- When it is just about set, tilt the pan and roll the omelet carefully. (If done carefully, the omelet should not have a skin or any brown to it.) Set aside.
- Liberally cover both inner sides of the bread with mushroom pate.
- Put half the pickled vegetables in the sandwich, then add the omelet.
- After you have placed the omelet, top with remaining pickled vegetables, jalapeños, and about five dashes of Maggi sauce. (Optional substitution for jalapeños is Korean red pepper thread.)
- Close the banh mi, cut in half diagonally, and enjoy!