Vegan Banh Mi Bowl With Crunchy Tofu

This vegan Banh Mi bowl is inspired by the beloved Banh Mi sandwich - that tangy, sweet, spicy Vietnamese classic.

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• Ingredients
• Assemble your Vegan Bahn Mi Bowl:
• 📖 Recipe
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Banh Mi, in case you didn't know, is a Vietnamese sandwich traditionally made by layering pork, a tangy carrot and daikon pickle, cucumbers, coriander and a lashing of chili mayo inside a baguette.

I've given this much loved classic a vegan and gluten free makeover. Rice noodles stand in for the traditional baguette and crispy tofu replaces pork. Slather it all up with a Sriracha cashew cream sauce and you've got yourself an amazing vegan and gluten free treat that's sure to become a part of your lunch and dinner rotation!

Ingredients

• Rice Noodles: Rice noodles are naturally gluten free. I've used a thin vermicelli rice noodle, but the thicker variety that you find in Pad Thai would work equally well.
• Tofu: Get the firmest variety you can find. If you can only find normal tofu, that's ok, just be sure to put press out the water . Follow along with this video for a clever tofu pressing hack.
• Carrot and Daikon Quick Pickle: This is an essential Bahn Mi ingredient. It's super simple to make and you can use it straight away. You can find my recipe here. Daikon is available at most Asian grocer's. It's taste is similar to a radish, but a bit milder. If you can't find daikon, feel free to omit it, or sub in matchstick sized cucumber slices. They pickle just as well.
• Cucumber: Adds a bit of freshness!
• Purple Cabbage: I love the color this adds. We eat with the eyes!
• Coriander: Refreshing, tart and citrusy, coriander is essential for an authentic Bahn Mi.
• Sriracha Cashew Cream Sauce: This sauce replaces the traditional sriracha mayo that Bahn Mi's are slathered in. My recipe is here, and once you try it you'll be putting it on everything (guaranteed!) You do need to soak your cashews overnight for the best result, so this sauce is best made the day before. But, if you prefer to go down the traditional route, you can mix sriracha sauce with your favorite vegan mayonnaise.

The full recipe with exact measurements is below*

There's a few steps to making this Bahn Mi bowl. They're all simple and straightforward, and the result will be well worth the effort.

The Sauce:

Let's start with the sauce. If you haven't already overnight soaked the cashews for the Sirarcha Cashew Cream Sauce, you'll find a quick soak method in the recipe. If you decide to skip the sauce, it's fine to mix some sriracha with your favorite vegan mayonnaise.

The Quick Carrot and Daikon Pickle:

Next, we'll make a simple pickle that literally takes five minutes to make. You can find the recipe for that here. Throw all that together and put it to the side to marinate.

The Noodles:

Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the package instructions. Easy Peasy. Drain them in a colander, rinse and set aside.

The Tofu:

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick fry pan, and cut your tofu into even cubes. I usually slice the block in half the long way, and cut the cubes from the two slabs of tofu. Put the cornstarch in a bowl and add the tofu cubes. Carefully coat the tofu with your hands. Add it to the hot oil and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally. The tofu should be nice and crispy. While the tofu is sizzling away mix the tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Add the sauce to the crispy tofu and saute for a further two minutes.

Assemble your Vegan Bahn Mi Bowl:

Put the noodles in a large ramen or pasta bowl and layer on the crispy tofu, sliced cucumbers, pickled carrots and daikon and coriander. Drizzle with some Sriracha Cashew Cream Sauce and enjoy!

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📖 Recipe