Vegan Baked Tofu Bánh Mì

Vegan Baked Tofu Bánh Mì.

Ingredients

Pickled Veggies
• 1 daikon, sliced into matchsticks or shredded
• 1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks or shredded
• ½ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 5 teaspoons sugar (or other sweetener)
• 2 teaspoon salt

Tofu & Marinade
• 1 package of tofu, pressed and drained, sliced into 18-20 sliced
• ¼ cup soy sauce/tamari
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or other sweetener)
• 1 tablespoon ginger (finely minced, shredded, or microplaned)
• 1 tablespoon garlic (finely minced, shredded, or microplaned)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Sriracha Mayo
• 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
• 1 tablespoon sriracha

Sandwich toppings
• A few sprigs cilantro
• Other herbs: mint, basil (optional)
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 Handful of spinach (optional)

Directions:

Pickle the Veggies

1. Place the carrots and daikon into a large bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons salt.
2. Massage the vegetables and salt & sugar for 3-5 minutes, pressing out the water, causing them to soften. Drain and rinse.
3. Combine the water, vinegar, and remaining sugar and stir to dissolve (you can also place over heat & stir until combined)
4. Place vegetables into a jar and pour brine to cover. Let pickles marinate while you prepare the tofu.
• Any pickled veggies you don’t use for the sandwich will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

Marinate & Bake the Tofu

1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. After pressing and draining the tofu, slice into roughly 18-20 slices (thinner = crisper, thicker = juicier), place into shallow dish.
3. Combine the remaining marinade ingredients and stir to combine
4. Pour over tofu and marinade for at least 15-20 minutes.
5. Place tofu on baking sheet (or on parchment paper), bake for 20 minutes at 425º F. Keep remaining marinade.
• (Optional: After 10-15 minutes, flip the tofu slices and re-brush with remaining marinade)

Assemble your sandwich

1. Combine vegan mayo & sriracha
2. Toast your bread (ideally a baguette, but any bread can work)
3. Spread both sides of bread with the sriracha mayo and assemble the rest of the sandwich: tofu, pickled carrots and cilantro, and the rest of the optional ingredients.