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gochujang tofu banh mi with pickled veggies on a wooden cutting board
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5 from 13 votes

Gochujang Tofu Sandwich

A hearty Banh Mi style spicy sweet Gochujang sandwich! A perfect summer lunch! It has an amazing flavor from the gochujang baked tofu, sweet mango, cilantro and zesty pickled cucumber carrots jalapeño.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinade time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: lunch, Sandwich
Cuisine: Korean, Vietnamese
Keyword: gochujang banh mi, gochujang sandwich
Servings: 4
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup

For the tofu:

  • 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu pressed for at least 15 minutes, then sliced into 1 1/2-2 inch squares or 1/2" cubes or any other size that you like

For the vegetables:

  • 1/2 of a cucumber thinly sliced, you can peel it a little bit and then slice, as well.
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 1/2 cup julienned carrots

For marinating the veggies:

  • remaining marinade from above
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons of water

For the sandwich:

  • 4 ciabatta rolls or soft rolls
  • lettuce chopped, as needed
  • 1 ripe mango peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup or more chopped cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño thinly sliced, optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400° F Fahrenheit (205° C).

Make the gochujang tofu:

  • Add all of the ingredients listed under marinade to a large, shallow bowl and mix really well. Add a tablespoon of water if the marinade. You might need another tbsp water depending on your gochujang sauce consistency so that the marinade is not too thick. Then add your sliced tofu to the marinade, tossing gently to coat all the sides of all the slices. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, then transfer the tofu to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and dry to preference.

Marinate the veggies:

  • There will be some marinade left in your bowl. If there isn't enough marinade, you can add in another tablespoon of soy sauce and gochujang. Add the vinegar, salt, sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of water to the bowl to make enough marinade mixture to coat the veggies. Add all of the sliced and julienned veggies to this bowl and toss to coat. Let the veggies sit to marinate for 5-10 minutes while the tofu is baking.

Assemble the sandwich:

  • Prep your bread by slicing it. You can toast the bread if you like. then add a layer of lettuce to the bread. Remove the tofu from the oven, and use as many slices as can fit on your sandwich over the lettuce. Add a layer of mango or any other fruit that you like.
  • Add the marinated vegetable mixture on top. Pile it really well, because you want the sandwich to be nice and juicy. Then top it with with jalapeño and cilantro and the other bread slice and serve. Serve with any remaining marinade on the side for dipping.

Video

Notes

Store: This sandwich obviously can get really mushy. The bread can get soggy pretty quickly because of all of the marinade dripping from the vegetables, Store the baked tofu and marinated veggies separately. assemble when you're ready to serve. 
This recipe is nut-free.
To make it gluten free, make this entire sandwich on gluten free bread or make it into lettuce wraps. Use tamari and make sure to use gluten-free gochujang.
It's really difficult to make this soy-free, because gochujang in general will have some soy, even if you don't need the soy sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 729mg | Potassium: 335mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 3345IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 3mg