As an omnivore, I always found sandwiches boring. Not that I didn’t enjoy a good grilled cheese or a well-crafted Italian panini (panino? Isn’t “panini” plural?), but they never excited me. Once I went vegan suddenly sandwiches became a creative challenge.
Traditionally, a banh mi wouldn’t be a vegan sandwich, but this recipe uses soy curls and a spicy vegan mayo in place of meat and egg-based sauce. The pickled veggies, fresh cilantro and chopped jalapeno make this a show-stopping sandwich.
Banh mi is Vietnamese for bread, although the term has become synonymous with this delicious street food originally from Saigon, so you want to get yourself a nice baguette or bun to make these — it really will make all the difference.
Soy curls are one of my favourite meat substitutes because they are one ingredient (soy), have a great shelf life thanks to their dehydrated state, and are a solid stand in for chicken. If you can’t find them at your local grocery store, try a health food or specialty market, or order them online.
The first step is getting your julienned vegetables pickling, so scrub or peel your carrot, daikon radish, and cucumber and place them in a dish with the vegan fish sauce and lime juice. Set aside or place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the sandwich ingredients. If using, prepare your lemon ginger sauce.
Next, soak your soy curls in water for 10 minutes, then drain them completely. Heat a skillet or frying pan over medium heat, once hot add the oil and add hydrated soy curls and saute until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Now add 1/2 a cup of lemon ginger sauce (or other stir fry sauce) and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
To assemble your sandwiches, combine your vegan mayo and sriracha and spread it generously on both sides of your sliced baguettes. Divide your lemon ginger soy curls between each sandwich, then top with slices of jalapeno, pickled vegetables, and fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Vegan Banh Mi
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy curls
- 1 tbsp light oil canola or vegetable
- ½ cup
ginger lemon sauce or store-bought stir fry sauce of choice - ½ carrot, peeled or scrubbed and julienned
- ¼ cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
- ¼ daikon radish, peeled or scrubbed and julienned
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp vegan mayo
- 2 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
- 2 demi baguettes or hoagie buns
Instructions
- Hydrate soy curls according to package instructions.
- Place julienned carrot, cucumber and daikon in a shallow dish and add the vegan fish sauce and lime juice. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables are marinating, combine the vegan mayo and sriracha and set aside.
- To prepare the lemon-ginger soy curls, heat a large frying pan (cast iron preferred) over medium heat. Add the oil and the drained soy curls and sauté until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the soy curls are nicely browned, add in ½ cup of my lemon ginger sauce and toss to coat. Cook the sauce and soy curls for 1-2 minutes more and then remove from heat.
- To assemble the banh mi, cut open your buns and spread both sides with sriracha mayo. Then spoon half of the lemon ginger soy curls onto each sandwich and top with sliced jalapeños, pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro.
