#ban mi

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Tofu Bánh Mì Sandwich

My mom instilled a love of cooking in me from a very young age. Thinking back, I distinctly remember Saturday afternoons, standing on a chair beside her, "assisting" with the baking and cooking--and in this case "assist" refers to eating leftover cinnamon-covered apples and measuring out cups of flour. But cooking was something I grew up with, and home-cooked meals far outnumbered the rare dinners out, which I discovered in college was not the norm for most families. 

Being exposed to cooking since childhood has profoundly influence me and my two older brothers. Our mother, who helped publish a Jewish holiday cookbook, taught us to take risks in the kitchen--how to freestyle with ingredients and create a dish from scratch. My dad also brought a finesse on the grill into the picture, teaching me how to BBQ chicken, steaks, veggies; in fact, he'll grill just about anything. Making a perfect steak is a vital life-skill, and one that I posses thanks to him.

Of the ridiculous number of things my parents have done for me, teaching me to cook and love food is up there near the top. So thanks Mom & Dad!

The pictures above are of my take on a Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich made with marinated tofu. "Recipe" below--but I don't usually measure anything, but rather do everything by taste on the fly, so everything is approximate. 

Preparation

Tofu: Drain Extra-Firm tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Slice the block into 3 equal hunks, about 1/4" thick (all on your preference) 

Tofu Marinade: Mix 2/3 cup teriyaki marinade (I use Yoshidas), 2 tbsp soy sauce. Whisk with a fork and add granulated garlic, chili flakes and cumin to taste. >> I like to add some fresh chopped cilantro to this to bring some freshness to the mix, and the stalks provide some of the strongest flavor <<

Pour marinade over tofu in bowl/ziploc bag, ensuring it is totally submerged. Leave covered at minimum 30 min up to a day according to your preference.

Quick Cabbage Slaw: Mix 2 parts rice vinegar, 1 part red wine vinegar, a dash of sesame oil in a bowl/liquid measuring cup. This will almost quick-pickle the cabbage. Add fresh chopped cilantro, cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Pour vinegar mix over cabbage. Mix well and refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes (I used coleslaw mix, but fresh cabbage will work--but may need longer to marinate).

For the squash, just cut into strips of preferred size, coat lightly with olive/canola oil and add a generous amount of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Bread: I used a rustic white loaf, but you can use any bread you want. Cut into 1/4" slices--thin enough to get crispy by thick enough to soak up the sauces. 

Get Cookin!

*NOTE* This whole dish was prepared in a 12" cast iron skillet...give it up for one pan cooking!

Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp canola oil to coat pan

Add the squash and cook on all sides until blackened -- remove  from pan and plate

Next up, we're cooking the tofu. If you would like, add a little bit more oil to the pan and place the sliced tofu in the pan. Flip after bottom browns and gets crispy and remove once the other side is done in the same manner. Set aside.

Take your bread slices, lightly coated with oil, and place in pan until browned on one side. Flip the bread, but only long enough to heat it--we don't want a crouton.

Remove bread from pan, and start plating! 

Plating

The sandwich is really quite simple--you've already done all the hard work! Place a few slices of the tasty pan-fried tofu on the bread, covering with a generous serving of your fresh cabbage slaw. Drizzle some of the extra marinade over the top and add sliced scallions and cilantro if desired.

The veggies can just be tossed haphazardly on the plate for a rustic feel. They can also get a light dose of the tofu marinade for an extra kick.

Garnish with sliced scallions and enjoy!

In all, the prep (not counting marinating time) is about 20 minutes, and cooking is about 15 minutes. It's a good, quick meal, and you can substitute or add any ingredients your heart desires!

Click the "Photos" link in the sidebar for larger pictures!

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[magpie-n-tonic]

Ban Mi

The air in Ban mi tastes more insane than the stuff which blows about in Lopburi. The people skid about in slow motion and the tramps enjoy sweeping the streets for no selfish benefits. Even the monks have a rigorous system which they voluntarily abide by. As the sun is tucked under its blanket and the people sip Chang under umbrella roofs sat upon broken stools, the monks take to their bicycles and at each passing hour sound their bell. Here in Ban Mi, time is not told by a western watch or ancient sundial but by counting how many times the monk doth chime. When I woke up in the middle of the night I was able to tell the time without reaching lazily for my phone, and as the monk rang his bell four times I knew it was time to go back to bed. Before I tucked my self into bed I witnessed nature David Attenbourgh style. Mounting Katie Ell's moped we sped off on a vague adventure. We were searching for the famous Ban Mi bat caves and after just ten minutes they were found. Two young Thai kids persisted to follow us all the way to the bat caves shouting 'HELLOOOO' every time they over took us and then slowing down so we could over take them and so on. It was a rather weird game but I think maybe its okay because when we reached the bat caves these two non speaking Thai kids one called Mow the other called Dow, saved our English bums. We veered right into this weird abandoned buddist mekkah. It was like a disused playground or a scene from The Wizard of Oz with all these big meaty macaque's patrolling the place. The monkeys were hanging from ever precipice and crack. They were not scared of us and one 'called me up' padding over like lead sheriff, causing me to lose my sense of sanity and scream 'help me help me' at Katie. It was at this point we considered turning back and going home until the crazy Thai kids Mow and Dow rocked up saying their favourite English word: Hello. They showed us the way to the bat cave which was up many steps and through overgrown walk ways. When we reached the mouth of the bat cave Mow and Dow began their first instalment of Thai gibberish. Despite the language barrier the fowl smell which had smacked our noses was enough to tell us the bats were waking up. We stood staring down into the smelly abyss listening to the bat call as it screeched across the air waves.   After staring into the dark for ten minutes the Thai guides took us higher up the mountain to a temple monument where we had an amazing view from above. The padi fields were soaking in their splendour and the tractors were trudging through thick mud like they were solidifying ice cream. The sun was setting and poking up around the neighbouring mountains were buddha statues. Mow and Bow spoke enthusiastically about these images but apart from the smiling and pointing all I understood was that the Buddha lying down was a buddha and he was dead therefore buddha + dead = dead buddha image. The sky was changing colour above our heads and small droplets of rain began painting our t-shirts so we clambered back down the mountain. We waited for the bats to fly, among the monkeys at the bottom with a lot more ease then before. It is here I had to witness a very brutal monkey rape. A baby monkey was being mounted by a bigger beast with two weird testicle things hanging from his neck. The big monkey was forcing the baby monkeys tale up what ever hole he must of had and much to my concern no other monkey helped him. Maybe its because just before the bats stir the monkeys get a bit frisky? But couldn't the beast monkey find another beast monkey to rape? Why pick on a wee babber who can't even put a condom on a banana yet? My attention was diverted in due time by the beginning of the bat flight. At first they came out somersaulting in drips and drabs but soon the trail was in full thickness. They flew in their millions over our heads and across to another mountain in search of food and freedom. They journeyed as one long trail which winded left and right unanimously however at times I would notice a bat stray from the path and into the wilderness alone. Lost or independent I have no prescription for this bat it was just an interesting observation is all.  The swarm of bats was beautiful. A true eye pleaser. While we sat in awe for 20 minutes watching the wave ripple it was still in full swing when we left. It was like a giant was sat in the cave and every day at 6 he would sneeze a mighty sneeze which CGI converted into a slow motion spray. But this was not CGI this was nature unravelled and raw. It was only when I heard the monks distant bell chime that I was brought back to reality, to the grim image of the monkey rape and the brutal realisation that we were covered in mosquito bites.