Name: Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 14 ounces extra firm tofu (drained and pressed); 1 tablespoon low sodium gluten free tamari; 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (divided); 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce; 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar ((or apple cider vinegar)); 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 carrot (julienned); 1/4 cup vegan mayo; 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce; 2 teaspoons lime juice; 1 baguette cut into 4" slices or 4 buns (- I used Pamela's pizza mix); 1/2 of an English cucumber, thinnly sliced; 1 sliced jalapeño; 2 limes (sliced in half); 1 bunch cilantro

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This Vietnamese Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì sandwich has spicy tofu, pickled carrots, sriracha mayo, cucumber, and jalapeño on a baguette.

This Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì is my all-time favorite sandwich. I could literally eat it several times a month if I wasn't a food blogger.

I've been making this sandwich for years, but I didn't want to post it until I found some good buns to serve it on.

I used to eat it with a brown rice tortilla, which was not ideal. It wasn't until I found out that you could make buns out of Pamela's pizza mix, that I felt this recipe was ready to post.

The other vegan gluten free buns that I've tried just weren't worthy, and I wanted to do this sandwich justice by serving it on a really good baguette.

This Tofu Bánh Mì has just the right balance of textures and flavors. The extra firm tofu is marinated in sesame oil, tamari (Japanese soy sauce), and sriracha sauce giving it a spicy savory umami flavor.

The pickled carrots are sweet, tangy, and crunchy. They are quick pickled in sugar and brown rice vinegar.

Vegan sriracha mayo adds a creamy spicy flavor. To add even more spice, there's sliced jalapeños. You could use serrano if you like it really spicy. Lime juice and cilantro add a bright note.

If you're vegan and gluten free like me, you know how hard it can be to get a sandwich at a restaurant that has vegan gluten free bread. For this recipe I used Pamela's pizza mix to make the buns.

It's totally worth the extra step. I've never come across vegan gluten free buns as good as this pizza mix.

The buns have a wonderful yeasty flavor. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside - just like you would expect from a great baguette.

Instructions

Marinated tofu: Marinate drained and pressed tofu in a mixture of tamari, sesame oil, and sriracha for at least 1 hour. Heat sesame oil in a hot skillet and cook tofu until golden brown on all sides.
Pickled carrots: Mix brown rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Once sugar is dissolved, add julienned carrots. Let sit overnight.
Sriracha mayo: Mix vegan mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, and lime juice.
Sandwiches: Scoop out some of the bun for a better bun to filling ratio. Slather sriracha mayo on the buns. Layer tofu, sliced cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño on top.

Tips

If you're using Pamela's pizza mix to make buns, make them the day before to make things easier. The dough can stay in the fridge if you aren't ready to form them and bake them.
Let the pizza mix rise for 2 hours. When you form it into buns, oil your hands. The mixture is sticky! All the directions are on Pamela's website for different bun recipes and there are videos you can watch to help also.
Make the pickled carrots the day before so that they can marinate and for faster assembly when you want to eat.
Drain and press the tofu to get the water out. This helps the tofu get crispier.
The tofu should marinate for at least an hour to overnight.
For even more spice, swap out the sliced jalapeño for serrano pepper.
For a better bun to filling ratio, scoop out some of the bread out of the buns - mainly the top bun if it's larger than the bottom bun.
The whole sandwich can be microwaved for about a minute or so if needed. That way you can bring a premade sandwich to work without assembling it during your lunch break.

Storage

Store each component of the sandwich separately. Then assemble when ready to eat. Store the ingredients in air tight containers in the fridge.

Tofu will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Pickled carrots will last up to 2 months in the fridge. Sriracha mayo will last up to 2 weeks.

Other Vegan Sandwiches

Recipe

This Vegan Bánh Mì is sure become a family favorite! During grilling season make a Vegan Bánh Mì Hot Dog.

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Here's the mix I used to make the buns. They are really good - you won't regret it!

4.67 from 3 votes