Often referred to as the world’s best sandwich, the Banh Mi is a Vietnamese streetfood treat and is an early example of fusion food – the baguette being introduced by the French during the country’s colonial past is served choca full of crunchy pickled veg, fresh herbs and in this case a tasty, spicy ginger and sesame coated organic tofu and chilli dipping sauce. We used panini coated with sesame seeds for an extra sesame hit but this recipe also works well with a baguette.
Prepare the marinade by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl. Submerge the organic tofu in this, cover and refrigerate for around 30 minutes.
To prepare the pickled vegetables, dissolve the sugar in the boiling water and add the vinegar. Allow to cool then stir in the herbs, sesame seeds, carrot, cucumber and spring onions. Cover and refrigerate until required. This can be made in advance and can be spiced up with the addition of a small, finely chopped red chilli if desired.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Fry the marinated tofu for 4-5 minutes until starting to turn golden brown. Place on the baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes basting frequently with the remaining marinade.
Mix the spread ingredients together well and refrigerate until needed and repeat with the dipping sauce ingredients.
Preheat a griddle pan. Slice each panini in half lengthways and spray lightly on top with oil. Place the sesame seeds in the griddle and cook each panini for a few seconds on each side to toast and coat with seeds. Spread lightly with the spicy mayonnaise, pile up with pickled vegetables and ginger and sesame tofu and enjoy with the soy chilli dip.