Fusion Confusion? Food Fusion: Guilty or Genius? | Ep.283

Fusion food goes on trial. Half the internet treats "fusion" like a confession, and tonight we find out if that reputation is earned: we run fusion's actual record (it was born in fine dining, produced some of the best dishes ever made, then had one very embarrassing decade) while BBQ pork chars under the broiler, and then we test it live with a dish that sounds like the crime itself: a banh mi panzanella. The build: thit nuong-style pork shoulder, sliced thin and marinated all day in fish sauce, soy, brown sugar, and lemongrass, broiled until the edges char. Do chua pickles (a Side Dish returning guest star), cucumber, jalapeno, and a pile of cilantro and mint, all tossed with baguette croutons that spent fifteen minutes drinking a hoisin-honey dressing, finished with a sriracha mayo ribbon. The panzanella move (dead bread that drinks) meets the banh mi's engine (pickles, herbs, heat), and the tasting at the end is the verdict. The drink is the Lychee Martini: vodka shaken ice cold with the syrup straight from a can of lychees and fresh lime, with a whole lychee waiting at the bottom of the glass. Floral, barely sweet, dangerously easy. JOIN THE CHAOS Website: https://sidedishcooking.com Discord:   / discord   Instagram/Socials: @sidedishcooking Subscribe for more:    / @sidedishcooking   WHAT'S IN THIS EPISODE The Dish: BBQ Pork Banh Mi Panzanella Pork shoulder sliced 1/4 inch thin, marinated all day (fish sauce, soy, brown sugar, lemongrass, garlic, shallot), broiled about 4 minutes a side until charred. Croutons dried at 350 and soaked in a hoisin-honey dressing, then tossed with the pork, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, jalapeno, and fresh herbs. Sriracha mayo drizzle, lime to finish. The Drink: Lychee Martini 2 oz vodka, 1 1/2 oz syrup from the lychee can, 1/2 oz fresh lime, shaken hard and double strained over a whole lychee in the glass. ABOUT SIDE DISH Side Dish is a live cooking show, new episode every Saturday at 7 PM Pacific. We cook side dishes, appetizers, bar snacks, cocktails, desserts, and everything that isn't the main course. 283 episodes and counting. Website: https://sidedishcooking.com Discord:   / discord   Instagram/Socials: @sidedishcooking Subscribe for more:    / @sidedishcooking   #BanhMi #Panzanella #FusionFood #BBQPork #ThitNuong #DoChua #BreadSalad #LycheeMartini #SummerRecipes #FromScratch #LiveCooking #CookingShow #SideDish #SideDishCooking #VietnameseFood