A quick and easy lunchtime sandwich option that packs so much flavour and ready in less than 20 minutes. This Vegan Tofu Banh Mi is full of gut loving ingredients and is also high in protein making it a winner for a quick work from home lunch.
What is a Banh Mi
The Banh Mi is a Vietnamese – French hybrid that originated as a result of French colonial rule in Vietnam. This fusion sandwich came about when French ingredients like the baguette, mayonnaise and pate were combined with Asian flavours like chilli and pickled vegetables, giving birth to the Banh Mi.
Traditionally this simple sandwich is made with pork, but with a bit of imagination there are so many other interesting flavours and ingredients that you can swap for, to make this vegan friendly. I find Tofu is a great alternative, as when fried on a high heat, in a good quality pan, you achieve that crispy outer skin and soft almost wobbly inside.
What is in the Vegan Tofu Banh Mi?
Tofu: I have opted for an extra firm tofu block for this recipe to avoid the need to press it. You can use regular firm tofu, just use a tofu press, or a couple of heavy books on top of your tofu for about 30 minutes before cooking, to apply pressure and remove the majority of the water content. This will allow you to get a wonderfully crispy tofu, that will add a great texture to your finished baguette. Just make sure you pan fry it on a high heat, so you are sear the outside to get that lovely crunchy texture.
Crunchy Bread: the crunchy bread really adds a contrasting texture to the soft filling. Traditionally made with a crispy French baguette, Ciabatta will also work well. Anything too soft won’t give you the contrasting texture and will end up soggy from soaking up the pickling juices from the vegetables.
Pickled Vegetables: I have opted for cucumber and carrot, but you can swap out for whatever you have available in the fridge. Radish and cabbage will also work well, just julienne them up in the same way
Vegan Mayonnaise: I used the Rubies in the Rubble version in this recipe if you are looking for a recommendation. But there are now loads of wonderful options readily available in U.K. supermarkets
Vegan Tofu Banh Mi
Course: Sandwich, LunchCuisine: Savoury, Indonesian, VietnameseDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes8
minutesA super quick, yet tasty hot sandwich that can be thrown together in as little as 20 minutes. Packed full of flavour and lots of gut loving goodness, this is the ideal option for a filling work from home lunch.
Ingredients
1 Extra firm tofu block
2 Crunchy baguette or bread rolls
Chilli flakes
Vegan mayonnaise
- Tofu Marinade
1 tbsp Sesame oil
3cm Piece of ginger, grated
1/2 Red chilli, finely chopped
1.5 tbsp Tamari
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Maple syrup
- Quick Pickled Vegetables
1 Carrot, julienned
1/2 Cucumber, julienned
100ml Apple cider vinegar
2tbsp Soft brown sugar
1tsp Salt
Directions
- Start by placing all your tofu marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Slice your tofu block into 0.5cm thick slices and then cut these in half, add these to the bowl, cover in the marinade and set aside
- Add all of your quick pickled vegetable ingredients to a jar and set aside to do their thing
- Cut your bread in half lengthways and spread with a generous layer of vegan mayonnaise
- Heat a frying pan on a high heat with a little sesame oil. Once hot, add your tofu slices to the pan and fry until golden on each side. Approx 3-4 minutes on each side
- Once cooked, add the tofu slices to the prepared baguette or bread, top with the quick pickled vegetables and sprinkle with chilli flakes for extra spicyness.
Notes
- I used a julienne peeler to cut the cucumber and carrots. But if you don’t have one of these, you can get the same effect by finely chopping the vegetables with a knife
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Vegan Tofu Banh Mi so please leave a comment below and tag me in your wonderful creations! I’m @fortheutteroflovefood on Instagram and use the hashtag #theutterloveoffood. I’m also on Facebook – please say hello!
