One of my favorite sandwiches is a Banh Mi. My first experience enjoying this delicious sandwich was at an amazing Vietnamese spot called An Choi in the lower east side neighborhood of NYC. I took inspiration from their pork banh mi and made a fried tofu version. This banh mi has delicious crispy tofu with a sesame seed crust and is topped with sweet pickled carrots, daikon radish and spicy jalapeños. Finally it's dressed with sriracha, mayo and hoisin and garnished with cilantro to add some freshness to this balanced work of art.
This recipe is vegetarian and it can easily be made vegan with the substitution of mayonnaise for Vegan mayo and egg & potato starch for cornstarch. Just mix corn starch with sesame seeds and salt and dip the tofu in it.
Ingredient List: Banh Mi Pickles Yield: 6 Sandwiches
2 medium size carrots (julienned)
1/2 large daikon (julienned)
2 jalapeños sliced
3 cups warm water
4 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp salt
Ingredient List: Banh Mi Yield: 3 Sandwichs
1 block extra firm tofu
4 tsp white sesame seeds
4 tsp black sesame seeds
1 large shallot
1/2 cup potato starch/corn starch
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup cilantro (rough chop)
1 tbsp Sriracha (per sandwich)
1 tbsp Hoisin (per sandwich)
1 tbsp Mayo (per sandwich)
Step by Step instructions:
First let's start by slicing the daikon, carrots and jalapeños. You are then going to julienne them into match stick pieces. You can use a mandolin if you don't wanna slice by hand.
In a medium size bowl add carrots, daikon and jalapeños. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tbsp salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Once 10 minutes are over, the veggies should no longer be firm. They should be able to bend without breaking. Finally rinse them under cold water and drain.
Next in a small bowl add 3 cups of warm water. Then add 4 tbsp sugar, 5 tbsp rice vinegar and 2 tsp salt. Mix and let it dissolve.
In 2 mason jars or 1 large container, add your veggies and pickling liquid. Store in an air tight container for 1-3 days to pickle. You can use after 1 day if you like.
Time to make the banh mi.
Start by slicing tofu in half. Then cut the tofu into strips of about 1/4 inch thickness.
You should get 4 slices per half block of tofu.
Next in a bowl add 4 tsp black sesame seeds, 4 tsp white sesame seeds, 1/2 cup potato starch/corn starch and 1 tsp salt. In another bowl scramble 1 egg.
Coat the tofu on both sides in the egg. Then coat the tofu in the potato starch mixture and place on a plate. Make sure tofu is thoroughly covered in potato starch.
In a heavy bottom pan or fryer add enough oil to shallow fry the tofu. (Around 1 in of oil)
Next thinly slice 1 large shallot. Add to a small bowl and toss with some potato starch. Next heat the oil to 350 degrees and fry the shallot for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from fryer and season with a pinch of salt.
Next increase the temperature of the oil to 400 degrees.
Place tofu in hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes until super crispy and golden brown. Remove from fryer and season with a pinch of salt.
Time to build the sandwich!!
Add mayo on the bottom of the bun then add the fried tofu. Next add sriracha and hoisin. Top with freshly chopped cilantro, pickled carrots & daikon. Garnish with fried shallots and your banh mi is ready to be served.
This is a must try if you have never made it before. If you want to make this sandwich Vegan skip the egg and crust the tofu in sesame seeds then dip in cornstarch. You can add some fried garlic if you like and you can also add fried shallots. You can find them at your local Asian grocery store if you don't want to fry your own. I hope you love this sandwich as much as I do.
Happy Cooking!
Check out this recipe on youtube!
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