Vegan Banh Mi

Flashback to the day I left for California on my own, only 16 years of age on a summer afternoon. I was seated next to an Asian couple, who kindly offered me bánh mì during the flight. Though I declined the offer for lack of appetite, leaving home to find such familiarity 30, 000 feet above ground was particularly comforting. Banh mì — the one thing Vietnamese families never forget to pack for a trip.

The term banh mì literally means bread product made with wheat. The product initially appeared in Saigon during colonial times, in the late 19th century. It was only until Vietnam gained independence in 1954 that banh mì took the form we know today. French Butter was replaced with mayonnaise, and Vietnamese condiments, such as daikon and carrot pickles (called “do chua”) were added. Banh mì typically contains cold cuts, pork sausage, liver pâté, pickled vegetables, and of course, cilantro. Traditionally a street food, it is now common to find variations of banh mì on brunch or lunch menus of restaurants such as Santa Barbara, Café 8 oz, and Café Bloom. Since my diet is largely plant-based, I decided to make my own version using tofu instead, combined with homemade do chua and vegan mayonnaise!

Tofu is a great source of plant-based protein: a standard portion of 100 g contains about 8–15 g of protein, and provides a good source of non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is the form of iron found in plant products; it is not as easily absorbed by the body. Vitamin C, which can be found in the daikon used in this recipe, helps the body absorb the iron from plant-based foods. For this recipe, I used extra firm tofu, as it retains its shape well; the only downside is that flavours don’t infuse as easily.

For the carrots and daikon pickles, “do chua”

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar, brown
• 1/2 cup vinegar, white
• 1 daikon, small-sized (about 5” long), sliced into thin wedges
• 4–5 carrots, sliced into thin wedges
• 1 pinch of salt

1. Slice daikon and carrots into long, thin wedges.
2. Melt the sugar into the water. Mix well, and let it cool completely. Once cooled, add the vinegar.
3. Place carrots into a jar, and add the vinegar mixture in. Conserve in the fridge. Wait a few hours or overnight for the flavours to develop. Since I used purple carrots, the colour was lost during preservation and the vinegar mixture became purple!

For the marinated tofu

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 4 tbsp of tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of rice vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of ginger, chopped
• 300 g tofu, extra firm, sliced

1. Mix the olive olive oil, tamari, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger together to create the tofu marinade.
2. Slice the tofu into 1.5 cm thick wedges. Marinate the tofu for a few minutes.
3. Over medium heat, pan-sear the slices on one side for about 5–10 minutes, and the other side for about the same amount of time, or until golden. The tofu turns out slightly toasted; not as crispy as fried tofu.

For the vegan mayonnaise
I followed this easy recipe, which features silken tofu, canola oil and dijon. At the grocery store, silken tofu can be found non-refrigerated, in a carton box.

To serve

Slightly toast your ficelle or baguette. Spread 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise, add a few slices of marinated tofu, a few carrots and daikon pickles, and the final essential touch: cilantro.

The ingredients themselves can be stored for a few days (the tofu, the vegan mayonnaise) and up to a few weeks (the pickled vegetables), which makes for quick and easy lunch preparation!

Many thanks to our friend Ella T. of White Doe Prints for the photos of magnolias featured in this post.

Originally published at www.athoughtfulmeal.com.