This tofu Banh Mi recipe is a take on the traditional Vietnamese sandwich. A sandwich full of flavour made with sticky tofu, creamy sauce, crunchy pickled veggies, cucumber ribbons and fresh cilantro!
What’s a Banh Mi Sandwich?
Banh Mi is a classic street food Vietnamese sandwich. It typically features meat (like grilled pork or chicken), accompanying vegetables and condiments and served over a crispy baguette. Here, we substitue the meat for tofu to make it vegetarian.
Tofu Banh Mi Ingredient List
- Sandwich bread or baguette: Use quality bread and make sure you toast it to get a crispy texture on the outside.
- Sticky tofu: pan-seared tofu tossed in a homemade sauce with cornstarch for a sticky texture. The marinade is made of soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic and cornstarch. Make sure to choose extra-firm tofu. Cook the tofu on a medium heat pan with oil for 2-3 minutes per side. Pour the marinade over the tofu, cook for 1 minute until the it thickens.
- Pickled veggies: this condiment brings such a distinguished taste to the Banh Mi. We’re using carrots and daikon marinated in rice vinegar, sugar, water and salt.
- Cucumber ribbons: to add freshness to the sandwich.
- Cilantro: You can also add fresh mint as well.
- Creamy sauce: a mix of mayo, hoisin sauce and sriracha.
Make it Vegan
You can easily use vegan mayo in the creamy sauce if you want this recipe to be vegan.
Tips to Perfect this Recipe
- Be generous with the amount of sauce you put in the sandwich. Make sure you spread it on both sides of the sandwich.
- Use quality bread for the sandwich. We want a crispy texture on the outside and soft bread inside.
- Use extra firm tofu to make sure the tofu keeps its shape when cooked.
How to Preserve Pickled Veggies?
It gets even better with time. Make sure you place pickled veggies in a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make more sandwiches later or garnish on avocado toast, stir fry or buddha bowl.
Tofu Banh Mi Recipe (Vietnamese Sandwich)
4
servings25
minutes15
minutes40
minutesThis tofu Banh Mi recipe is a take on the traditional Vietnamese sandwich. A sandwich full of flavour made with sticky tofu, creamy sauce, crunchy pickled veggies, cucumber ribbons and fresh cilantro!
Ingredients
4 baguettes or sandwich breads
½ english cucumber, sliced into ribbons* (optional)
Fresh coriander
- Tofu
400g of extra firm tofu, cut into 12 slices
2 tbsp of neutral oil (coconut oil or vegetable oil)
5 tbsp of soy sauce
4 tbsp of water
Juice of ½ lime
2 cloves of garlic minced
½ tbsp of fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp of cornstarch
- Pickled veggies
1 cup of carrots cut into julienne
1 cup of daikon, cut into julienne
½ cup of rice vinegar
⅓ cup of water
2 tbsp of sugar
½ tsp salt
- Sauce
½ cup of mayo (you can use vegan mayo)
2 tbsp of hoisin sauce
1 tsp of sriracha
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled veggies. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Set aside.
- Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, mix mayo, hoisin sauce and sriracha together.
- In another bowl, prepare the tofu marinade. Combine soy sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, ginger and cornstarch. Mix well, making sure the cornstarch is incorporated and there’s no lumps.
- Cook the tofu. Add oil to a big saucepan on medium heat. Cook sliced tofu 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour the marinade over the tofu and cook for a minute or so, until the sauce thickens.
- Grill bread in a toaster or oven (350F for +/- 10 minutes).
- Assemble the Banh Mi. Spread sauce on each side of the sandwich bread. Place tofu slices, pickled veggies, cucumber ribbons and coriander.
Notes
- To make cucumber ribbons, use a vegetable peeler.
- To preserve pickled veggies: Make sure you place it in a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make more sandwiches later or garnish on avocado toast, stir fry or buddha bowl.
