Tofu Banh Mi: Make this Easy, Vegetarian Recipe

To many, a banh mi sandwich is a quick, easy, and cheap meal on the go. In Vietnam it is typically eaten for breakfast as children make their way to school by scooter. Today, I am making a tofu banh mi, but often this sandwich would include pork, chicken pate, or both.

While banh mi is a quick, easy, and cheap meal on the go, it wasn’t always that way and in fact, the story behind banh mi is a long, troubled relationship that Vietnam has had with colonialism. Vietnam truly had a rough go under first Portuguese rule, winning their independence and then the French sweeping in with guns blazing and overtaking 3 provinces across the country.

The French had to pretend that they were better than everyone else and maintain their “European diet”, so here comes cheese, butter, and the importing of wheat since it wouldn’t grow in the tropical Vietnamese climate. Of course, these products were very expensive and only for the French nationals.

Once the French skipped town in a hurry to fight yet another war, the Vietnamese people were left with the European diet standards and it was being sold dirt cheap. So, might as well make it your own, hence the banh mi sandwich was born. Crusty French bread with crunchy pickled vegetables, spicy mayonnaise, and in my version, tofu marinated in a delicious Vietnamese flavors. It is a perfect blend of flavors and just one more example of the amazing flavors and ingenuity that comes from Vietnamese cuisine.

There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but don’t let that scare you! Once the chopping is done, the sandwich comes together fast and easily.

Ingredients:

1 block of firm tofu, pressed

1 tablespoon sesame oil,

2 tablespoons of spicy mayonnnaise

1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped

2 radishes or daikon, sliced

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 jalapeno, sliced

1/3 cup warm water

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 3 large pieces

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 inch of ginger, minced

1 French baguette, cut in half horizontally

Instructions:

1. Start by pressing your tofu by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and topping with a heavy skillet.
2. Meanwhile, make a quick pickle by combining warm water with salt, sugar, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Add the radishes, cucumbers, carrots, and jalapeno.
3. Cut the tofu horizontally and marinate in soy sauce, fish sauce, lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
4. Remove the lemongrass and pan fry the tofu for about 3 – 5 minutes each side or until heated through.
5. Prepare the sandwich by spreading the mayo on one half of the bread, layering with the tofu, and topping with the pickled vegetables and cilantro.

If you like this, be sure to try my other Vietnamese inspired recipes or another French baguette recipe, my pan bagnat.