Make Tofu Bánh Mì with Mushroom Pâté

From The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler

“It is a fine art to make a good sandwich,” said my darling, Jared. Since then, I have always taken great care, making sure there is a little bit of everything in each bite, ensuring it doesn’t fall apart or get too soggy before you reach the end. Like the Vietnamese took French influence in developing this popular sandwich, I’ve taken vegetarian influences to make a plant-based version that’s just as satisfying as the original.

Serves 4

Prep: 40 minutes

COOK: 15 minutes

Ingredients

TOFU MARINADE

• 400g of firm tofu, cut into 2cm strips
• 4 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of tamari soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

FOR THE ROLL

• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• Pickled radish
• 1 carrot, finely sliced
• 1 cucumber, finely sliced
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced
• A handful of coriander sprigs

MUSHROOM PÂTÉ

• 2 cups of Swiss brown mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, finely diced
• 1/4 of a cup of walnuts
• 1 tablespoon of tamari soy sauce

Method

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and place them in the fridge. Overnight is best, but whatever extra time you have will be fine.

To make the pâté, sauté the garlic with the butter or oil on low heat for one minute. Add the mushrooms, fish sauce and soy sauce and cook until golden and slightly sticky. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Crush the walnuts in the mortar and pestle or with a sharp knife until it forms a paste. Once the mushrooms have cooled, add them to the mortar and pestle or a bowl and continue working them into the paste. It won’t be super smooth, but that’s fine.

Slice the bread rolls lengthwise without cutting all the way through to prevent the ingredients from sliding out.

Place a frypan on medium heat and fry the tofu with the marinade until golden.

Lightly toast the rolls, if you fancy. Spread the mayo and pâté on one side and the hoisin on the other. Layer the roll with tofu, cucumber, carrot, pickled radish, finely sliced chilli and coriander.

Add more hoisin, if desired.

This recipe is an extract from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler, published by Exploring Eden Books (also on Facebook and Instagram). For each book sold, Exploring Eden Books has committed to removing at least 25kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. Read more here.