I’ve seen variations on a tofu bánh mì online occasionally and my family loves both bánh mì and tofu. I was still a *tiny* bit skeptical about whether this sandwich would really feel like a banh mi without the meat. I am happy to say that we really loved this, and didn’t feel anything was lacking at all.
The tofu is pressed to remove moisture, then marinated in a super flavorful marinade, and it sucks the marinade right up, so it had a ton of flavor. Bánh mì topping are so fresh and delicious too, it was really delightful to eat this sandwich.
I used soy, miso, lime juice, rice vinegar, sriracha, garlic, salt and a touch of honey to marinate the tofu. I used my favorite sandwich rolls for these, which isn’t quite the same as bánh mì bread, but not a bad substitute. I made a soy lime mayo to spread on the bread and toasted it a bit before adding the tofu, shredded lettuce, cilantro, pickled carrots and julienned cucumbers.
This sandwich was healthy, but it was also completely tasty and I will make these again in the future.
Marinated Tofu Bánh Mì
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp miso paste I used red/white mixed
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sriracha or more to taste
- 2 minced cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp honey
For the tofu:
- 2 14 oz packs firm tofu pressed on a cookie sheet between several layers of paper towels with a little weight on it for an hour. Change paper towels several times.
- few tbsp oil for frying
For the mayo:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 garlic clove minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sriracha to taste
For the sandwiches:
- 4 soft rolls sliced and lightly toasted
- 1/2 onion thinly sliced
- shredded romaine lettuce
- 2 carrots shredded and sprinkled with rice vinegar and salt
- 2 small seedless cucumbers julienned
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Instructions
For the tofu:
- Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch blocks and press on a cookie sheet between layers of paper towels with a little weight on top to remove some of the liquid.
- Whisk the marinade ingredients well and pour into a 9×13 pan or large rimmed cookie sheet. Place the tofu slices in the marinade and allow to absorb for 20-30 minutes, flipping them once or twice.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium in a skillet and add the tofu slices. Allow them to cook until they brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Drain them on paper towels while you ready the sandwich.
For the mayo:
- Combine the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
For the sandwich:
- Slice the rolls and lightly toast them in the oven. Spread the mayo on both sides and add tofu slices. Top with the lettuce, onion, herbs, cucumbers, carrots and scallions and drizzle with some sriracha if you like.
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