Tofu Banh Mi

Step 1

Peel the carrots and daikon radish. You'll need about 2 carrots, and 1/3 of a medium daikon radish. First cut them into planks, and then into matchsticks. You should have about 2 cups of each.

Step 2

Toss them with the 1 tsp of salt and sugar and let them rest for 20 minutes to draw out the moisture. You can rinse them after word and then pat them dry with a clean towel or paper towel. Add them to a large mason jar or similar.

Step 3

Whisk together the 1/4 cup of sugar, water and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the carrots and daikon and ensure they are covered. Add more water / vinegar if needed to cover. You can use them right away, and can keep the in the fridge for up to one month.

Step 4

Roughly chop the mushrooms and shallots, into a large dice. Try to keep them around the same size but it doesn't need to be perfect!

Step 5

In a dry, cold pan, add the mushrooms. You may need to do this in 2 pans so you don't crowd the pan. Bring the heat up to medium and stir the mushrooms occasionally. They will release a lot of water.

Step 6

After about 10 minutes, the mushrooms should have released all their water. Just keep an eye on them, and once they have sweat it all out, add a little cooking oil and then the shallots. Stir to coat and cook until the shallots have softened, about 6 - 8 minutes.

Step 7

Add in the garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Then add in the veggie stock, soy sauce, miso paste, and Maggi Seasoning if using. Cook and reduce the stock until it's been absorbed, about 10 more minutes.

Step 8

Add the mushroom mixture to a food processor along with the vegan butter and process until it's a smooth pate. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Enjoy with crackers as well as a Banh Mi! Store in the fridge for 4 - 5 days.

Step 9

Simply mix and combine the ingredients. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Step 10

Make sure to use super firm tofu, the kind that's vacuum sealed and doesn't need pressing. Otherwise, if you are using extra firm, you should press it for at least 30 minutes.

Step 11

You can either cut and score your block of tofu into 3 - 4 filets like I do in my Tofu Grilled Chicken recipe, or you can thinly slice it. Both options work great!

Step 12

Once the filets / slices are prepped, coat them in the marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

Step 13

Get a pan up to medium heat, add a little oil and then grill the filets / tofu slices for about 4 - 5 minutes per side. Feel free to brush the leftover marinade before and after you flip them. Once they are cooked to your liking remove from the heat.

Step 14

If you want to shallow fry the filets, let them cool after grilling. Then dredge them in the flour and salt and pepper. Fry them in a some oil (I used 1/4 cup for a 12" skillet) over medium heat until golden brown. Remove the the pan and set aside.

Step 15

Split a roll in half, but don't cut it all the way, leave a hinge. Then spread a generous amount of the mushroom pate on the bottom half. Top with 1/3 of the tofu mixture, then some of the jalapeños, cucumber, pickled veggies, and cilantro. Add some sriracha or sriracha mayo to the top half if you like and dig in!