Traditional Vegan Smoked Tofu and Vegetable Bánh Mì
A stellar plant-based take on the classic Vietnamese street food icon: a crusty baguette slathered with cilantro mayo, packed with peppery pan-seared smoked tofu, quick-pickled carrots, cucumber, and fresh jalapeños.
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30 min
Easy
Vietnamita / Fusión
2 servings
The story behind
You seriously have absolutely no idea what an incredible, deeply rewarding and crunch-heavy street food masterpiece this turns out to be—it is the absolute king of sandwiches! The very first time I experienced a proper tofu Bánh Mì was from a bustling food truck on a beautiful sunny afternoon. It completely blew my mind to experience that flawless texture contrast: on one hand, the fiercely crispy baguette that yields to a cloud-like interior, and on the other, the warm savory tofu colliding with the chilled, tangy crunch of pickled veggies. The golden secret shared with me by the truck's chef to recreate that authentic stand flavor is quick-pickling your julienned carrots in rice vinegar and sugar to unlock that signature sweet-and-sour profile, and combining your vegan mayo with fresh cilantro. Personally, I absolutely love packing this for weekend road trips or outdoor picnics because it travels beautifully. It looks phenomenal when you overlap the golden tofu slabs diagonally and let the fresh jalapeño rings peek out proudly across the crust, exactly like the layout in Sándwich de tofu ahumado y vegetales.jpg. Pair with an iced lemongrass tea or a chilled kombucha to cut through the rich, savory layers. You will fall in love with it completely!
Instructions
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1In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and a small pinch of salt into the rice vinegar. Toss in the finely julienned carrot strips and let them submerge for 15 minutes to create a swift sweet-and-sour pickle; drain thoroughly and set aside.
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2Slice the firm smoked tofu block into uniform planks about 1 centimeter thick. Season them generously on both sides with the tablespoon of soy sauce and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
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3Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with a tiny drop of vegetable oil and sear the tofu planks for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a gorgeous, crispy golden crust forms. Set aside.
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4For the spread, mix the vegan mayonnaise with a handful of finely minced fresh cilantro and a tiny pinch of salt.
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5Slice the baguette open lengthwise, and optionally flash-toast the inside face crumb-side down in the hot skillet for extra texture.
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6Generously coat both inside faces of the warm baguette with the rich cilantro mayonnaise.
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7Assemble the sandwich flawlessly to copy the composition in Sándwich de tofu ahumado y vegetales.jpg: layer the cucumber planks first, overlap the hot seared tofu slabs diagonally over them, pile on the well-drained pickled carrots, scatter the fresh jalapeño rounds evenly, and finish with a lavish mountain of whole fresh cilantro sprigs before shutting and slicing.
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