Meat Lite: Hybrid Banh Mi Recipe

• 2 bulbs lemon grass
• 1 large jalapeno
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 8 ounces extra-firm tofu (2/3 of a block) cut into 1-ounce slices (about 1/4 inch thick), pressed between clean kitchen towels to remove excess water
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 medium carrots, julienned on a mandoline
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned on a mandoline
• 1 large jalapeno, sliced paper thin on a mandoline
• 1/4 sweet onion, sliced paper thin on a mandoline
• 1 long, thin baguette, 20 to 24 inches
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 8 ounces shredded pork (about 2 cups)
• 4 to 6 springs cilantro

1. Process the lemon grass, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor until a paste forms. Add the oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and process until combined. On a rimmed dinner plate, spread about half the marinade, top with the pressed tofu slices, and cover with the remaining marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water, vinegars, salt, and sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Kill the heat; stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Place the vegetables into a container with a tight-fitting lid; pour the liquid over them. Refrigerate until cold.
3. When you are ready to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 350u0b0F. Remove tofu slices from the marinade, scraping off any excess, and arrange on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment. Bake for 1 hour, turning tofu slices after 30 minutes.
4. To assemble the sandwiches, slice the baguette into 5 to 6 inch lengths, and split. Smear each side of the sandwiches with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, and layer on 2 slices of tofu, 1 to 2 ounces of shredded pork, pickled vegetables to taste, and a sprig of fresh cilantro, and serve.

lemon grass, garlic, vegetable oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, extrafirm, water, rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, carrots, cucumber, paper, sweet onion, long, mayonnaise, pork, cilantro

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/meat-lite-hybrid-banh-mi-pork-tofu-recipe-healthy.html (may not work)