In Linh Nguyen's native Vietnam, going meatless is so common it merits a special day of the month. The cultural and religious custom, "an chay" is encouraged as a healthful way to eat.
And as it turns out, blocks of tofu are intensely flavorful when rubbed in a fragrant lemongrass marinade and fried into plump little sticks. At his food truck Vina Baguette, Nguyen nestles his tofu into soft bread from La Baguette Bakery and loads it up with herbs and sliced vegetables.
It's very simple, but making the banh mi sandwiches from scratch requires about an hour of down time, pressing and then marinating the tofu. It's easy at home, but if you want to try the real deal, head down to Broadway and Cherry for lunch.
Tofu banh mi sandwich
Makes four sandwiches
- 1 box firm tofu
- 4 lemongrass stalks or about 4 tablespoons frozen lemongrass
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup corn oil
- 4 French baguettes
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 cucumber, sliced into sticks
- 1 carrot, finely shredded
- 1/2 cup sliced jalapeño
- several sprigs cilantro
- Sriracha sauce
Slice tofu into squares about 1/2 inch thick, set weighted plate over tofu for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
Chop off lemongrass stems. Peel off harder green layers of lemongrass stalks until you're left with the softer white parts. Thinly slice and chop that up. (Can substitute frozen lemongrass available at specialty grocery stores.)
Combine lemongrass with turmeric, salt, chicken powder and sugar. Rub over both sides of tofu squares. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Get oil very hot. Fry tofu squares for a couple minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown on the edges. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch sticks.
Rub inside of baguettes with butter and place in a hot oven for 30 seconds. Fill each sandwich with sliced vegetables, jalapeño and cilantro to taste. Add tofu sticks. Finish with Sriracha sauce.
