Curried Tofu/Tempeh Banh Mi

Recipe from Vegan Richa

Husband-Tested (and adapted) in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 3

While on vacation in Barcelona, my husband and I found a newly opened deli called Ferment9.  It was a beautiful, locally-owned shop full of fermented foods.  We visited the shop more than once and each time I ordered their Banh Mi with Tempeh.  It was just the best sandwich ever.  Now, this recipe, while not exactly like Ferment9 sandwich, comes pretty close.  The original recipe from Vegan Richa (one of my favorite websites/YouTube channels) calls for tofu, but I had tempeh in the fridge, so I used that.  By the way, as much as I love bread, next time I make this, I’ll use a bread that’s not so thick because it can overwhelm the flavors of the sandwich.

Pickled Veggies

½ cup brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup hot water

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot

½ cup sliced cucumber

½ cup shredded or thinly sliced daikon radish or regular radishes, shredded

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced* (You can omit this OR use jarred pickled jalapeño in the sandwich when you assemble it.)

Sauce

¾ cup full fat coconut milk

½ teaspoon flour (whole-wheat or rice flour)

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon sugar

Tofu/Tempeh

Oil, for searing

14 oz. firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 20 minutes) OR 1 package tempeh (steam for 10 minutes, then pat dry with clean towel)

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce or tamari

1 teaspoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

3 Tablespoon coconut cream (scoop from a can of full fat coconut milk)

2 teaspoons minced lemon grass (optional)

For Serving

Fresh cilantro or mint or both

Lettuce or crunchy baby greens

Sriracha or Sambel Oelek (optional)

Bread or baguettes (You could even use a lightly steamed collard leaf as a wrap for this sandwich instead of bread.)

Pickle the vegetables.  Combine the vinegar, water, salt, and maple syrup in a shallow container with a lid.  Mix well.  Add the veggies and press down to submerge them.  Close the lid and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Make the sauce.  In a medium saucepan, mix together the coconut milk, flour, sea salt, garlic powder and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer 2-3 minutes to thicken, then take off the heat.  Set aside while you sear the tofu/tempeh.

Sear the tofu/tempeh. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Place the tofu pieces or tempeh pieces in the skillet and allow the pieces to sear (brown) on one side and then flip the pieces over to sear the other side.  Meanwhile, measure out the curry powder, soy sauce, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic powder, coconut cream and lemon grass (if using) in a small bowl. When the tofu/tempeh is browned on both sides, add the curry powder mixture. Using a spatula, flip the tofu/tempeh over so that each piece is coated in the curry powder mixture.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Assemble the sandwich: Drain the pickled veggies.  Toast or grill the bread, if desired. Place some greens/lettuce on one slice of the bread.  Place the tofu/tempeh on top of the greens. Drizzle with the sauce.  Add some pickled veggies, then cilantro/mint and jalapeno, if using.  Add some sriracha or sambal oelek for additional heat (optional).  Serve.

Nutritional Information: (for 1 sandwich, includes tofu with whole grain mini baguette) 369 calories; 44 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 13 g fat (5 g sat. fat); 642 mg sodium; 221 mg potassium; 3 g fiber; 5 g sugars; 223 mg calcium; 3.2 mg iron; 4750IU vitamin A; 2.4 mg Vitamin C