We’re obsessed with sandwiches these days. We want them chunky – packed with colour, texture and flavour. If they’re not tightly bound in paper or foil to avoid everything spilling out, you’re not doing it right. But however excellent sarnies may be, many of us still bear the scars of clean eating and diet culture which made bread the enemy. 

Bánh mì is possibly one of the greatest snacks invented. It’s a French-infused Vietnamese creation and this particular recipe is full of protein and probiotics. Stuffed with marinated tofu, this baguette is padded out with kimchi, pickled carrot, lots of fresh herbs, cucumber, spring onions and loads of sauce. 

Don’t fancy pickling your own carrot and daikon radish? Check out your nearest health food shop or East Asian store.

• 280g (10oz) block of firm tofu, patted dry with kitchen paper and cut into 3 or 4 thick slices
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 small or ⅓ of a large baguette 
• A good squirt of mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Vadasz Kimchi or homemade Kimchi 
• 1 handful of do chua Vietnamese pickles (pickled carrot and daikon)
• 1 handful of mint leaves
• 1 handful of coriander leaves
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 6 slices of cucumber, cut at an angle
• 1 handful of roasted, salted peanuts, lightly crushed
• A good drizzle of sriracha, if you like

For the tofu marinade

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper

1. First make the tofu marinade. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together well. Add the tofu slices, turning gently to coat them, then let them sit in their sweet/savoury bath for a few minutes.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. While it’s heating up, add the cornflour to a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper. Now add the tofu slices, one by one, gently tossing to coat them all over. Set aside the leftover marinade.

3. Carefully place the floured tofu in the hot pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

4. While the tofu is cooking and draining, slice the baguette open lengthways, then tear out any doughy bread inside to avoid a soggy result. Squirt the mayo inside, then spoon in the kimchi.

5. Add the tofu, overlapping the slices along the length of the baguette. Now add the do chua pickles, the herbs, spring onions, cucumber and peanuts. Finish with the sriracha (if using) and a drizzle of the leftover tofu marinade.

6. To serve, lift the sandwich on to a sheet of foil, wrap it up snugly, then slice it in half to reveal the colourful layers inside. Remember, a tight wrap will ensure most of this wonderful sandwich ends up where it belongs – in your mouth and not down your front!

Recipe taken from The Pickle Jar by Nick Vadasz (Hamlyn), £20, out 27 March 2025. 

Images: Joe Woodhouse