vegan Vietnamese tofu banh mi recipe
A vegan twist on the popular Vietnamese street food sandwich, the banh mi, a delicious sandwich of tofu, pickles & salad on crispy baguette. I've included the recipe for tofu bacon (which is amazing), but you can use shop-bought vegan bacon, deli slices, vegan meatballs or falafel, so I have not included the tofu bacon in the timings.
Servings: 3 sandwiches
Calories: 302kcal
Ingredients
Tofu Bacon (if you are making it) Ingredients
- 450 g extra firm tofu (you will need to press firm tofu) a smaller pack of tofu is ok, it will just make less portions
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste (for a milder flavour use 1 tablespoon of gochujang and 1 tablespoon of tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
Banh mi sandwich ingredients
- 1 large baguette (cut into 3 chunks or two if you are feeling very hungry)
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 12 slices cucumber
- 50 g shredded iceberg lettuce (about 3 handfuls)
- 3 tablespoons pickled radishes (or other veggie pickles, more or less if you like)
- 3 handfuls fresh coriander (cilantro)
Instructions
Making tofu bacon
- Make your marinade. In a tub, add the gochujang sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, water, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine.
- Peel your pressed tofu into strips with a potato peeler or cheese slicer (cheese planer). Add them to the tub with the marinade, add the lid securely and shake to coat all the tofu strips. Set aside for a few minutes (see notes for leftover bits of tofu).
- Now pre-heat your oven to 220c / 200c fan/ 425f / gas mark 7 and line two large baking sheets or sheet pans with non-stick baking paper or parchment paper.
- If you are using an air fryer, you will have to cook in batches and it will cook quicker, so keep an eye on it.
- Lay the strips in a single layer across both trays (or in two batches). Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy at the edges, then leave to cool.
- Making a banh mi sandwich
- Cut the baguette into three chunks or two if you are very hungry, slice them open through the top of side and spread the inside with mayo.
- Add slices of cucumber and then shredded lettuce, then top with carrot slices or grated carrot.
- Next add slices of vegan bacon and top with pickled radish or other pickled veggies and finish with fresh coriander (cilantro) or other fresh herbs.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use deli slices, vegan meatballs or falafel instead of vegan bacon.
- Any pickled veggies will do.
- If you have leftover bits of tofu, shred or crumble them and toss in the remaining marinade, bake on a baking tray and keep for wraps.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 422IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg
