Cooking for Beginners recipes, structured

Banh Mi

Lemongrass tofu in a shatteringly thin baguette, with pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, chilli and a great deal of coriander.

Prep
25m
Cook
20m
Waiting
1h
Total
1h 45m
Serves
4 sandwiches
Effort
Moderate
Scale
4 sandwiches
Units

Method

Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.

4 Warm the baguettes 5 minutes at 200°C / 400°F until the crust crackles 6m A Vietnamese baguette is thin-crusted and airy. A dense sourdough fights the sandwich. Split the warm baguettes, spread, fill and press shut 6m Pull out some of the crumb. A hollow makes room for the filling and stops it squeezing out.
3 stalks Blend the lemongrass marinade 6m Marinate the tofu, then fry it hard on both faces 20m Get real colour on it. Pale tofu tastes of the marinade and nothing else.
3 cloves
3 tbsp
1 tbsp
1/2 tsp
2 tbsp
450 g
2 Pickle the carrot and daikon for at least an hour 10m Salt them for 10 minutes and squeeze first — they stay crunchy instead of going limp.
a 15 cm piece
150 ml
4 tbsp
2 tsp
150 ml
4 tbsp
2 tsp
1
a large handful
2
Read left to right: ingredients merge into steps, and the rightmost cell is the last thing you do. Steps account for 48m of hands-on and cooking time.

  1. Warm the baguettes 5 minutes at 200°C / 400°F until the crust crackles

    6m
    • baguettes 4

    A Vietnamese baguette is thin-crusted and airy. A dense sourdough fights the sandwich.

  2. Blend the lemongrass marinade

    6m
    • lemongrass 3 stalks
    • garlic 3 cloves
    • light soy sauce 3 tbsp
    • sugar 1 tbsp
    • white pepper 1/2 tsp
    • neutral oil 2 tbsp

  3. Marinate the tofu, then fry it hard on both faces

    20m
    • from 2 Blend the lemongrass marinade
    • firm tofu 450 g

    Get real colour on it. Pale tofu tastes of the marinade and nothing else.

  4. Pickle the carrot and daikon for at least an hour

    10m
    • carrots 2
    • daikon a 15 cm piece
    • rice vinegar 150 ml
    • sugar 4 tbsp
    • salt 2 tsp
    • warm water 150 ml

    Salt them for 10 minutes and squeeze first — they stay crunchy instead of going limp.

  5. Split the warm baguettes, spread, fill and press shut

    6m
    • from 1 Warm the baguettes 5 minutes at 200°C / 400°F until the crust crackles
    • from 3 Marinate the tofu, then fry it hard on both faces
    • from 4 Pickle the carrot and daikon for at least an hour
    • mayonnaise 4 tbsp
    • Maggi seasoning 2 tsp
    • cucumber 1
    • coriander a large handful
    • red chilli 2

    Pull out some of the crumb. A hollow makes room for the filling and stops it squeezing out.

Why the bread is the hard part

A banh mi baguette is made with a proportion of rice flour or an added improver, which gives a crumb full of large irregular holes and a crust thin enough to shatter rather than tear. That structure matters mechanically: it compresses under a bite instead of forcing the filling out the far end, and the hollow interior soaks up mayonnaise and pickle liquid without going soggy in the way a tight crumb does. If you cannot find one, choose the lightest, most fragile baguette available and hollow it out.

Notes

  • Salt the carrot and daikon before pickling. Drawing the water out first means the vinegar goes in and the crunch stays.
  • Classic fillings are pork belly, pâté and Vietnamese cold cuts; the lemongrass marinade here does the same aromatic job.
  • The pickles keep three weeks refrigerated and get better after two days.

Try butter, 30 minutes, braise, or an ingredient you need to use up.