March 24

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a vietnamese sub from a small place close to my boyfriend’s work. In all honesty, my hopes are never very high with regards to restaurants here in Calgary. I know that there are a lot of more expensive places that are supposed to be great, but we won’t spend the money. Usually when we go out, it’s ok, but nothing fantastic. I don’t know if it was the mood I was in but that sub was absolutely phenomenal. I haven’t eaten something, outside of our own kitchen, that I have so thoroughly enjoyed for such a long time. Although I have not tried to replicate it exactly, it made me think that it would be a great dish to make at home. Here it is.


Bánh Mì refers to the bread that this sandwich is served on. The baguette came to Vietnam from the French colonial period. The sandwich is normally filled with pork, cilantro, and some pickled carrots and daikon, although I have seen vegetarian versions in many Vietnamese restaurants. The pickled vegetables would certainly give the sandwich another twist, so go for it, if you’re in the mood to spending a little more time. If not, you get some zing from the sauce!

The tofu in the sandwich I got the other day was definitely deep fried. I don’t really have the desire to deep fry at home so I thought panko crusting it was a good alternative. The medium firm tofu is perfect in this. You have to be a little delicate when crusting it, but it is so much more velvety and juicy than the firm stuff. This recipe will make some extra tofu, but it’s great to have on hand for other dishes throughout the week. The crispy, warm bites of tofu are really great against the cool, freshness of the rest of the ingredients. This sandwich doesn’t lack for crunch though. The carrots, cucumber and crusty bread make this a beautiful, texture-filled dish. While the sandwich that I had before had some satay sauce on it (which was great) but I decided to go for some simple, spicy mayo.