Vegan Bánh Mi
The Bánh Mi Sandwich - a traditional Vietnamese dish packed to the brim with different ingredients. In our case, this includes 3 (three!) different pickled vegetables, spicy marinated tofu, avocado, cucumber, and your favourite sauce.
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Introduction
Making a vegan sandwich can be difficult. I previously made a delicious Smoky Chickpea Sandwich, and had a hard time perfecting it - they can be dry, crumbly, or just an all-around hassle to eat. With a few tips, tricks, and a little technique, it turned out amazingly, and so did this Bánh Mi.
Other variations of vegan sandwiches avocado fillings, cauliflower fillings, cubed tofu fillings, or fake bacon. They’re either food pretending to be meat, or ingredients stuck between two pieces of bread masquerading as a sandwich. But the Bánh Mi stands tall. There’s no pretending. It lays it all out on the table and makes the vegetables inside the star of the show.
Each ingredient plays a vital role (and even better, gives you something to eat for lunch that isn’t leftovers or a $13 burrito from down the road). A spicy, marinated tofu sits firmly in between our pickled vegetables and a piece of avocado, and each bun is lathered with sauce (feel free to be a little adventurous with your sauce choice, the Bánh Mi works with everything).
The secret to this sandwich is to be generous with your toppings. I use pickled carrots, radish, and jalapenos, the recipes of which can be found here. I also sliced up some cucumber, and topped with a healthy amount of avocado. The trick is to scoop a bit of bread out of the top and bottom bun, giving you a bit more space to cram in as much as you possibly can.
Check out the Spruce it Up section for ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Total Time: 43 Minutes
Ingredients
1 block Extra Firm Tofu
Pickled Carrots
Pickled Radish
Pickled Jalapenos
Ciabatta Buns
1/2 Avocado
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
1/2 tbsp. Lime or Lemon Juice
2 cloves Garlic
Sauce
Up to you.
1/4 Cucumber
Method
Slice your tofu in half lengthwise, and then into rectangular strips about 1 cm. thick.
Put the tofu strips into a Ziploc bag or shallow bowl with the soy sauce, maple syrup, lime or lemon juice, and garlic. Make sure all of the pieces are coated, and allow them to marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
While they’re marinating, cut your cucumber into matchsticks.
“Matchsticks” is the term used to describe thin, rectangular slices.
Preheat a pan over medium heat, with a drizzle of oil. Cut your ciabatta bun in half, and lay it flat in the pan once it’s come to temperature, toasting it until it’s golden-brown.
Thinly slice one half of an avocado.
Once the tofu has finished marinating, preheat a pan over medium-high heat, with oil. When it’s hot, place your slices into the pan, and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until they’re crispy. Flip, and cook for another minute.
Lay each half of your bun on the table, and scoop out a bit of bread from each half. Spread a sauce of your choosing onto both buns.
Place your pickled radish onto the bottom bun, followed by your pickled carrots, and a few pieces of pickled jalapenos. Throw on some of the matchstick cucumber slices, followed by your crispy tofu, and topped with your avocado.
Press the top bun firmly on top of the ingredients to hold them in place.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
Tofu can be marinated in so many different ways. Search up a couple recipes to find your favourite.
Bánh Mi sandwiches loves cilantro, so top with loads of it if you’re a fan.
Try pickling some other vegetables. I’ve created a Guide to Pickling Vegetables where the recipes for the jalapenos, radish, and carrots can also be found.