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Tofu banh mi
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Tofu Banh Mi

The classic Vietnamese street food that is amazing when made with seared tofu. Topped with simple pickled carrots, fresh coriander, vegan mayo and crunchy lettuce for an authentic experience.
Course Lunch
Cuisine Vietnamese
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 543kcal
Author Jess & Dan

Ingredients

  • 2 6" baguettes – fresh or par-baked
  • Vegan mayo
  • 300 g extra-firm tofu – pressed for at least an hour, and cut into 1cm thick slices
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 4 tablespoon soy sauce – or tamari
  • 1-2 tablespoon Sriracha - depends how spicy you like it, but you can always add more (+ extra to drizzle on if you want)
  • 2 cloves garlic - grated
  • 2 cm ginger - grated
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • ½ cucumber - julienned length ways with a mandoline or peeler, pat dry before use so you don't make everything else soggy
  • 1 carrot - julienned length ways with a mandoline or peeler
  • 4 baby gem lettuce leaves
  • Handful of fresh coriander - roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to whatever temperature is recommended with your par-baked baguettes, or if you're heating a fresh baguette, you probably want gas mark 4/180 c
    2 6" baguettes
  • In a bowl, mix together the maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha, garlic and ginger
    2 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 4 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 2 cm ginger, 1-2 tablespoon Sriracha
  • Add your tofu to the marinade, making sure all pieces get covered, and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes (if you're patient enough...however, if you're trying to keep it quick you can definitely just crack on)
    300 g extra-firm tofu
  • We're assuming your bread is going to take ~10mins to heat through (the par-baked baguettes we usually get take 8-10mins), so get them in the oven now - just keep an eye on them as you don't want dry banh mi!
  • Get a frying pan on your hob over a medium-high heat and add a splash of oil
    1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • Once the pan is nice and hot, add your tofu and cook on the first side for a couple of minutes (keep the marinade!)
    300 g extra-firm tofu
  • Just before flipping, add some of the leftover marinade to the top of the tofu, so that when you flip it the side that's about to hit the pan is covered
  • Do this 2 more times (so each side of the tofu has been cooked twice, making sure to add more marinade before flipping each time) - turn the heat down a bit if necessary, a bit of char is cool but you don't want burnt tofu!
  • Cut open your baguettes and spread with vegan mayo, then layer up the lettuce, cucumber and carrot
    2 6" baguettes, Vegan mayo, ½ cucumber, 4 baby gem lettuce leaves, 1 carrot
  • Top with the tofu, a good handful of coriander and an extra drizzle of sriracha if you like it spicy. Best served with an ice-cold bottle of Saigon!
    Handful of fresh coriander

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 3069mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 5160IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 7mg