Tofu Bánh mì

Oh NO it's ANOTHER tofu recipe! I'm on a roll (as is this sandwich, snert!).

I made these for band practice and they were a big hit. This made 6 sandwiches, but you can halve the recipe. I'll probably also try this over rice as a bowl, instead of as a sandwich. Baguette is traditional - the store was out of it so I used "bollito" sandwich rolls - not bad. Apologies for lack of quantities, but I don't measure stuff like this - and it's very forgiving/easy to adjust. You can marinate the tofu/pickle the veggies for as little as 30 minutes, but longer is good, even overnight. If you can find daikon radish, that's traditional to add to the pickled veggies. I think most banh mi places use fresh/raw jalapenos; I pickled them as well to soften the bite (but kept them separate in case anyone wanted to opt out). Everything can be at room temp, which is nice for a summer meal. Also - super cheap! 

Tofu:

- 2 boxes firm or extra firm tofu, drained

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- couple tablespoons fish sauce (omit for vegan)

- some lime juice (probably 1 fresh lime; I used bottled)

- glug of maple syrup or honey

- squirt of sriracha

- 2 garlic cloves, sliced or minced

- small piece of fresh ginger, sliced or minced

Pickled vegetables:

- a couple carrots, julienned (I used most of a bag of pre-shredded carrots)

- 1/2 large cucumber, halved, seeded & sliced thin, or julienned

- 1 large jalapeno, very thinly sliced

- 1/2 cup rice vinegar (or white/cider vinegar)

- 1 Tbl sugar

- 1 Tbl salt

To assemble:

- Baguette or sandwich rolls

- fresh cilantro

- Mayo (use vegan if you wanna) & sriracha mixed to taste

Slice the tofu 1/2-inch thick and lay the slices on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Put more paper towels on top, and press with something heavy for a little while. Meanwhile, mix up the marinade ingredients. I added water to make about 1 cup marinade for 2 blocks of tofu. Marinate in a container for at least 30 min; longer/overnight is good.

Microwave ~1/2 cup water until warm enough to dissolve salt & sugar, then do that! Add vinegar and then pour over vegetables (I kept jalapenos separate). Refrigerate at least 30 mins, longer is better. The veggies will shed some water; stir a couple of times.

Take the tofu out of the marinade (try to brush off garlic/ginger bits). Cook in a very hot skillet (cast iron is great) in a little oil until browned & crispy, about 3 minutes per side. You'll need to do this in batches if doing 2 blocks of tofu. Or you can bake or broil the tofu.

Very lightly toast your bread, and spread with sriracha mayo. Build sandwiches with tofu, pickled veggies (let liquid drain a bit as you scoop out), jalapeno, and a few sprigs of cilantro. Best to eat soon as these can get a little soggy from the pickled veggies.