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New Year’s Eve banh mi

Bahn Mi pic for web

If I am at a party, I want food that does a few things: fills me up, is bright and enlivening, can be eaten with my hands and helps soak up some of the wine I plan to drink. A banh mi is my dream party food: crunch from some fresh veg, punch from the sriracha, crisp-edged tofu and that all important sustenance from the baguette, which holds it all in. The dream.

You don’t want a fancy sourdough baguette here: crusty baguettes are not a banh mi’s friend. You want the lightest, softest, airiest baguette you can get your hands on. There are bakeries that make Vietnamese-style baguettes specifically for banh mi, so if you can get your hands on them, hats off to you. You can make the veg, mayo and tofu (keep the tofu warm in a low oven) ahead of time, and put the baguettes together as needed.

Serves
4
Prep
25 mins
Cook
10 mins
Bahn Mi pic for web

Ingredients

For the veg

  • 100g radishes, sliced into thin matchsticks
  • ½ green apple, sliced into thin matchsticks
  • ¼ cucumber, sliced into thin matchsticks
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced into thin matchsticks
  • 1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 15g pickled ginger, plus 2 tbsp of the pickling juice

For the sriracha and lime mayonnaise

  • 150g good mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • Juice and zest of ½ lime

For the tofu

  • Sesame oil
  • 250g firm tofu, sliced into 2cm strips
  • 1 tsp runny honey or agave
  • 3 tsp sesame seeds
  • Juice and zest of 1 lime
  • Flaky sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 small bunch coriander, roughly chopped

To serve

  • 1 large, soft and fluffy baguette
  • 1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked
  • 1 small bunch mint, leaves picked

  1. Mix the ingredients

    Mix all the veg ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise ingredients, then set aside ready to assemble later.

  2. Fry the tofu

    Put two tablespoons of sesame oil in a large, nonstick frying pan, then fry the tofu for about five minutes, until crisp and golden on all sides.

  3. Add the honey

    Turn off the heat, then add the honey, followed by the sesame seeds, and toss to coat the tofu. Now add the lime juice and zest, with a good pinch of flaky sea salt and the coriander.

  4. Warm the baguette and serve

    Warm the baguette in the oven, then cut in half lengthways, making sure that you don’t slice all the way to the bottom. Spread the top and bottom with a layer of the sriracha mayo, followed by a layer of the pickled veg, then the tofu. Finish with a handful of coriander and mint leaves, then cut into quarters and serve while the tofu is still warm.

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