One of my favourite things about living in Toronto is the mind-boggling variety of authentic ethnic restaurants that is available to us.
From Ethiopian injera to Trini doubles to Japanese ramen to Portuguese custard tarts to Korean barbecue, you can travel around the world without ever leaving the city limits (and in some cases, all in the same neighbourhood!)
Vietnamese food, in particular, makes regular appearances on the rotation, and not just because some of the best pho and banh mi joints in town are a short downhill bike ride away.
(Though, to be honest, I'd probably go even more often if it wasn't for the fact that the short downhill ride there means there's a much longer uphill ride home, which feels extra-long when you've got a belly full of pho.)
That's one of the reasons why I've learned to make some of my favourites at home.
Call me lazy, but I like knowing the only trip I have to make after dinner is the short walk to the couch, where I can finish binge-watching Season 6 of Gossip Girl. (Yes, I have terrible taste in TV shows. Make of it what you will.)
Meet Your New Favourite sandwich: The Banh Mi
If you're not familiar with bang mi, allow me to introduce you to your new favourite sandwich.
The most important element is the bun, a long, skinny wheat roll with a crispy crust and a light fluffy interior. I pick up my buns from a local Vietnamese bakery, but a sliced baguette will do the trick if you don't have access to the real thing.
The fillings are a little more variable, but typically you start with a protein base like grilled pork or chicken (or pan-fried tofu as I've done here), then garnish with a slathering of mayo, a sweet-and-tangy carrot and daikon slaw, fresh cucumber slices and cilantro sprigs.
This particular version upgrades the standard formula by using thick slices of bright yellow tofu marinated in a classic combo of lemongrass and chili pepper as the filling, and spiking the usual mayo with a squirt of spicy sriracha sauce.
The end result is a sandwich loaded with bright flavours and colours and textures. It totally hits the spot when I've got a hankering and can't be bothered to leave the house.
Marinating Made Easy with Gourmet Garden
The best part is that the marinade for the tofu couldn't possibly be simpler, thanks to Gourmet Garden's lemongrass and chili pepper stir-in pastes.
The beauty of these pastes is that they take all of the hassle out of the preparation.
There's no smashing of tough lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife (and by extension, no lemongrass bits flying all over the kitchen), no careful seeding and deveining of hot peppers.
Just a quick squeeze into the bowl and off you go. They're a lazy girl's best friend!
That said, if you can't get your hands on ready-made paste, simply add 2 stalks of finely chopped lemongrass and 1 minced chili pepper to your marinade.
The only downside about these tasty banh mi is that they come together almost too easily...
But that just leaves me with enough time to squeeze in an extra episode of Gossip Girl (or for a short walk to the gelato shop for a cone, no uphill bike ride required).
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Disclosure: This post is part of a series sponsored by Gourmet Garden. All opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
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Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi
- Total Time: 1 hour 21 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These Vietnamese-style vegetarian sandwiches feature slices of pan fried tofu flavoured with lemongrass and chili, nestled in crusty baguette with loads of crunchy vegetables and spicy sriracha mayo.
Ingredients
Lemongrass Tofu:
- 1 (14 oz) package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 8 slices
- 2 tbsp Gourmet Garden lemongrass stir-in paste
- 1 tbsp Gourmet Garden chili pepper stir-in paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp canola oil
Quick Pickled Daikon-Carrot Slaw
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- 1 cup julienned daikon radish
Assembly:
- 4 banh mi rolls (or 1 crusty baguette, cut into 4 pieces)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
- Thinly sliced fresh cucumber
- Fresh cilantro sprigs
Instructions
Marinate the Tofu:
- Arrange the sliced tofu on a thick layer of paper towel. Cover with another layer of paper towel, then cover with a large plate and weigh down with a cast iron skillet or several cans. Let stand 15 minutes to press out some of the moisture, then discard the paper towels and pat the tofu dry.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemongrass paste, chili pepper paste, soy sauce, turmeric, and sesame oil. Arrange the tofu slices in a shallow dish, and brush them all over with the marinade. Set aside for 1 hour to allow the tofu to soak up all of the marinade.
Make the Carrot-Daikon Slaw:
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, water, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Add the carrot and daikon, and toss to coat. Set aside to pickle for 30 minutes, then drain and transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the Tofu and Assemble Sandwiches:
- Heat the 2 tbsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu from the marinade and gently pat dry with paper towel. Add to the skillet and pan-fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- To assemble the sandwiches, split the buns in half. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and sriracha sauce, and spread onto the top and bottom of the buns. Nestle two tofu slices into each bun, then garnish with carrot-daikon slaw, cucumber slices and lots of fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
vivian says
This was truly delicious, and not difficult to make, as most of the time required is for pressing and marinating the tofu. Thank you for including that time in your prep time. Thanks also, for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Isabelle Boucher says
So glad you enjoyed these! (And yes, even though the prep time sounds long, the sandwich itself comes together pretty quick... I just like to make sure you guys know when you have to plan ahead, because no one likes starting dinner prep at 6pm only to read the dreaded phrase "marinate overnight"!)
Marlene says
This looks delicious! Great for those days when even a short bike ride seems too far (like today, when it's so hot and humid!).
Hilary says
Banh Mi sandwich? Yes PLEASE! This looks delicious- and I have been craving lemongrass lately (is that weird?). Will definitely have to try!
Sean says
Y-U-M. I love banh mi. I've genuinely thought about doing a whole month of banh mi on my site. It also makes me wonder about doing something with a soft tofu - sort of a veggie take on the pate you sometimes find on these amazing sandwiches. Anyway, I'd devour this in about 12 seconds.
janet @ the taste space says
Love it! I just had BMB's panko tofu banh mi sandwich last week and excited to try this one at home. I have yet to master fresh lemongrass, so this sounds perfect.
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land says
In Vancouver we are so lucky to have lots of banh mi joints too - I've never seen that stir in paste!!! I will have to look for it for our next tofu meal! (lazy girl's best friend ... :)
★★★★
Brittany at I Love Vegan says
This sandwich looks absolutely glorious! I've been meaning to try a tofu Banh Mi and your recipe has me convinced that it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
I've always been intrigued by Gourmet Garden's pastes but never picked one up. Is it just herbs/etc. or are they packed in oil or something? Either way I'll have to try some, I am the definition of "lazy girl cooking" so these sound too good to be true.