Vegan Tofu Banh Mi
After traveling to Vietnam and getting to experience a fresh, traditional banh mi sandwich, I knew I needed to create a vegan version. This Vegan Tofu Banh Mi ticks all the boxes. It's flavorful, light and brings me back to the streets of Vietnam!
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 962kcal
Ingredients
PICKLED VEGGIES
- 1 ½ pounds large carrot
- 1 pound daikon or more carrot/radish
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
MARINATED TOFU
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed and sliced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
OTHER
- 4 French baguettes or any light, airy bread
- Vegan Mayo or avocado or vegan butter
- Sliced Cucumber
- Cilantro
- Optional: Fresh jalapeño or red chilis sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 °F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Drain and press your block of tofu for 15 minutes while you prepare the pickled veggies.
- Peel and slice the carrot and daikon into matchsticks, about 3-4 inches long and about the width of a chopstick. Place the matchsticks into a bowl and gently stir or massage ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar into the veggies. Allow the veggies to sit for 10 minutes until a pool of water forms at the bottom of the bowl and you can bend the veggies without them snapping. Rinse off the veggies to remove the salt and sugar.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine 1 cup of warm water with ⅓ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt until dissolved. Add in 1 ¼ cups distilled white vinegar and stir everything together. Pour this mixture over the veggies and allow the mixture to sit for 1 hour, if possible. Then, use the pickled veggies right away or place them in a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to a month.
- While the veggies are pickling, move on to the tofu. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tofu marinade (everything except the tofu) in a large mixing bowl. Add the pressed, sliced tofu to the marinade and gently stir everything together until all the tofu has soaked up the marinade. Spread the tofu out onto your prepared baking sheet and bake it at 400 °FC for about 30 minutes, flipping the tofu over half-way through.
- While the tofu is baking and the veggies are pickling, prepare the remaining ingredients. Slice your avocado, cucumber and chilies. Rinse the cilantro and, depending on how soft it is, toast the bread in the oven at 350 °F for about 3-7 minutes. Allow the bread to cool before cutting it in half with a serrated knife. Scoop out some of the inside.
- Add your fat of choice to both sides of bread and season with maggi seasoning sauce, soy sauce, fine sea salt and or black pepper.
- Fill the middle with the baked tofu, sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro stems, pickled veggies and, if desired, sliced chilis.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 962kcal | Carbohydrates: 173g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 4196mg | Potassium: 1338mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 28418IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 397mg | Iron: 11mg