Vegan Bánh Mì with Smoked Tofu

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Bánh Mì is the Vietnamese term for bread - but not just any bread: it is a blend of products from Vietnamese cuisine and French colonial influences. Coriander and pickled carrots meet baguette!

There are many local variations, many of them with pork or beef. But it is also delicious as a vegan option with smoked tofu: the marinated and fried tofu goes wonderfully with the fresh cucumber, coriander and crunchy pickled carrots.

Both the tofu marinade and the pickles can be made the day before, and the sandwich itself can be assembled in a flash after the tofu is freshly fried.

Recipe #

Vegan Bánh Mì with Smoked Tofu

45 minutes

2 portions

Ingredients #

For the tofu:

• 225 g smoked tofu
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of rapeseed oil
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• for frying: 2 tablespoons of oil

For the carrot pickle:

• 1 carrot
• 60 ml white wine vinegar
• 60 ml boiling water
• 10 g sugar
• 3 g salt

For the baguette:

• 1 large baguette
• 1-2 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce
• 1/3 cucumber
• 5 g fresh coriander
• optional: 20 g hoisin sauce

Directions #

1. First marinate the tofu: Cut the tofu into cubes about 1/2cm long. Peel and chop the garlic, then place in a sealable plastic container with the other marinade ingredients and the tofu. Cover and shake briefly to coat each tofu cube with the marinade, then refrigerate. (Can be made the night before)
2. Peel and slice the carrot. Mix the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a jar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the carrot strips, shake briefly to coat completely, then set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu until it begins to colour. Drizzle with the remaining marinade from the plastic bag and fry on both sides, then remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
4. While the tofu is cooking, wash and chop the coriander for the baguette. Wash and slice the cucumber.
5. Now we can assemble the baguette and cut it lengthwise without cutting the back. Spread the vegan mayonnaise and sriracha inside, then layer the tofu, carrot pickles, cucumber and coriander. Serve with hoisin sauce.

Carbon Footprint #

In total, two servings of vegan bánh mì with smoked tofu have an estimated carbon footprint of 752 g

This ranks it number 5 out of 56 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.

The tofu, and also the oil and vinegar, have a slightly above-average carbon footprint - but this is very moderate compared to other recipes, especially for the tofu: IFEU estimates that 1 kg of tofu produces about 1.0 kg of CO₂ equivalents, compared to about 5.5 for chicken, 4.6 for pork, 13.6 for beef or 1.4 for milk (source). However, cucumbers and carrots have an even better carbon footprint and their use improves the carbon footprint of the whole Bánh Mì.

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