There are times when eating food that is bursting with an assortment flavors and textures is needed. Today was one of those days, lol. I decided to make a vegan version of a bahn mi and it turned out great! Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich which got its origins from French colonialism in Indochina, combining ingredients from the French (baguettes and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients, such as cilantro, cucumber, and pickled carrots and daikon.
This is one of my very few recipes that is NOT gluten-free because I couldn’t find gluten-free baguettes for it. Feel free to use them though if you can find them, or if you make them!
I started by cutting up the carrots and daikon for the pickled vegetables. After an hour of marinating you could taste the pickling, but after 2 hours it had full flavor! It will last up to one week in the refrigerator properly sealed.
Don’t be scared by the ingredient list for the tofu marinade as it is very simple and quick to put together. After pressing the tofu, slice it up and marinate it for 1-3 hours.
For mine I used an indoor grill to cook my tofu, but you could use a fry pan too. It takes around 5 minutes per side to get the grill marks and the little bit of crunch on the edges which I love! Now it’s time to assemble and enjoy!
Vietnamese Banh Mi (Vegan)
Full of flavor and textures
Ingredients
Pickled Vegetables
- 2 Carrots juilenned
- 1/2 Large Daikon juilenned
- 1 Cup White Vinegar
- 2 Tblsp Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Seasame Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Tofu Marinade
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Tamari
- 3 Tblsp Lemongrass minced
- 4 Lime Leaves crushed
- 1 Tblsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Grated Ginger
- 1 Tblsp Maple Syrup
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 350g Extra Firm Tofu Pressed
Banh Mi
- 2 Baguettes each cut in half
- 4 Tblsp Vegenaise
- 1 Tblsp Siracha
- 1 Cucumber
- 1/2 Cup Kimchi
- 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
- 1 Cup Romaine Lettuce torn
Instructions
Pickled Vegetables
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Combine everything except the vegetables and whisk until it is all combined.
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Julienne the carrots and daikon and add it to the mixture. Let it soak for a minimum of 1 hour.
Tofu Marinade
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Combine everything except the tofu in a container and mix well.
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After rinsing and pressing the tofu, slice it into 1/4 thick pieces and make sure that the marinade is covering it. Let it marinate for 1-3 hours.
Banh Mi
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Grill the marinated tofu for 5 minutes per side.
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Combine the Vegenaise and Siracha and spread it on the baguettes. Top with all the fixings, grilled tofu and the pickled vegetables.
This was very delicious