Agile in the kitchen

Tofu Banh Mi Bowl

A green bowl with tofu bahn mi; rice noodles, pickled vegetables, baked tofu, spring onions, and spicy sauce.
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This twist on a classic Vietnamese sandwich Tofu Banh Mi is made even more delicious by putting it in a bowl with rice noodles instead of using a baguette.

The dish originated in French colonial Vietnam, combing the classic French bread and the pickled vegetables of Vietnamese cuisine. A dish to eat on the go on the streets of Vietnam. My version swaps the baguette for a warm bowl of rice noodles to accompany the marinated tofu and pickled vegetables. With a delicious Bahn Mi sauce to top it off.

On a white textured background, a green folded cloth napkin in the left corner, towards the right corner a ceramic bowl shaped as a flower filled with Banh mi sauce, in the middle of the picture a green bowl with rice noodles, pickled vegetables, baked tofu and sprinkle of green onions, to the right a set of wooden chop sticks
Tofu banh mi bowl

Pickling vegetables

I have two variations of pickling vegetables, one warm and one cold that I use, depending on the texture of the vegetables. Pickled vegetables can last for at least three months in the fridge, kept in an airtight container. A great way to preserve vegetables using only four ingredients, white vinegar, water, salt and sugar.

On a wooden cutting board with a folded cloth napkin with flowers, a teaspoon with salt, a pink bowl with sugar, a blue ceramic bowl with vinegar, a glass bowl with radishes and a glass bowl with carrot sticks
Ingredients to make pickled vegetables

Substitutes

You can substitute the vegetables I have used for any other that you like to pickle. Also if you do not like the taste of pickled vegetables, you can make the bowl only using fresh vegetables. Or why not try a mix of both.

If you prefer to use another protein instead of tofu, my Asian inspired mince meat would work great with this dish too.

No waste cooking

Pickling vegetables is a great way to use veggies before they go bad which can give weeks back to your vegetables. Keep them in the fridge in their pickle juice in an airtight container and they will keep for much longer. A perfect way to make sure that I do not waste food, keeping an eye on my food budget as well as the environmental impact of food waste.

On a wooden cutting board, a flowery cloth napkin folded, on top a teaspoon with salt, a pink jar with sugar, a garlic clove and two bay leaves. Next to the cloth, a ceramic bowl with sliced red onion in pickle juice
Pickled red onion

Tofu variations

For other variations of other no waste cooking tofu dishes, try my everything stir fry.

On a white textured background, a green folded cloth napkin in the left corner, towards the right corner a ceramic bowl shaped as a flower filled with Bahn mi sauce, in the middle of the picture a green bowl with rice noodles, pickled vegetables, baked tofu and sprinkle of green onions, to the right a set of wooden chop sticks
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Tofu Banh Mi Bowl

This twist on a classic Vietnamese sandwich Tofu Banh Mi is made even more delicious by putting it in a bowl with rice noodles instead of using a classic baugette.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinading time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: East Asia
Keyword: tofu, vegetables
Servings: 4 portions

Ingredients

Tofu marinade

  • 100 ml tamarind concentrate
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 piece ginger roughly chopped
  • 500 g tofu one block

Pickled carrots and radishes

  • 300 g-500g vegetables
  • 200 ml vinegar
  • 200 ml water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • Thin rice noodles

Banh Mi Sauce

  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • Squeeze of lemon

Instructions

Tofu marinade

  • Add tamarind concentrate, lime juice, brown sugar, chili flakes, minced garlic and roughly chopped ginger to a bowl and set aside.

Tofu

  • Press tofu block between a few paper towels, add something heavy on top.
  • Cut tofu block in half and then slice.
  • Add the tofu slices to the marinade and leave for at least an hour. You can prepare these steps ahead and leave the tofu in the marinade over night.
  • Set the oven to 220 °C (400 °F).
  • Lay the tofu slices flat on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes, flip over after 10 minutes.

Vegetables

  • Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces. Carrots into sticks, cooked beets in slices than in halves, radishes in thin slices.
  • Mix the liquid with sugar and salt. Use a fork or small whisk to dissolve the sugar and salt.
  • Crush the garlic clove with the back of your knife and add into the liquid.
  • Pour the liquid into a glass jar and add the vegetables.

Banh Mi Sauce

  • Prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Rice Noodles

  • Boil water for the rice noodles.
  • Cook for three minutes or until soft.
  • Rinse in cool water and divide into four bowls
  • Add baked tofu, pickled vegetables and sauce to the bowls with the rice noodles.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Leave the pickled vegetables in the fridge for up to three weeks as long as your jars are clean.

2 responses to “Tofu Banh Mi Bowl”

  1. Pickled vegetables – Agile in the kitchen

    […] But there are some dishes that I cook that do require pickles as the main ingredient, such as my Tofu Banh Mi bowl, a fun variation of the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich and perfect to make if you do not have baguette […]

  2. Banh Mi Sauce – Agile in the kitchen

    […] quick and easy sauce to add to your Banh Mi sandwich, or why not try my Tofu Banh Mi bowl. Or simply use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables. In about five minutes this sauce is ready to […]