Everyone loves sandwiches right? 

So this morning I thought what's an easy five minute sandwich that smashes all others out the court that I would eat right now? Plus, one that covers all tastes - sweet, spicy and sour. The banh mi!

Banh mi is the term for a Vietnamese baguette or bread with filling; it's normally filled with pork, beef or even seafood. Tofu, however, when fried, lends itself really well to all the different elements of this sandwich. And it can also be prepped and put together later on and still taste awesome. I love the pickled veg and creamy sriracha mayo combo along with the smokiness of the crispy tofu. And fresh herbs and chilli on top of all of that are like a party for your taste buds.

If you have folk round, this washed down with some tasty light beers will definitely go down an absolute treat.

Ingredients

(Makes about 3 sandwiches)

1 small white onion sliced thinly

1 red chilli sliced thinly

1 block of smoked tofu sliced

2 carrots julienned or spiralized

1 cucumber julienned or spiralized

6 leaves of crunchy lettuce

Small handful of coriander, basil & mint chopped

1 large crusty baguette

For the pickle:

2 tsp of white sugar

Tsp of salt

Cup of rice vinegar or cider vinegar

For the sriracha mayo:

Dairy free mayo (You can buy this in most health food stores or even in bigger supermarkets now, you can also make your own, if you feel brave enough. There's a ton of recipes online and you just have to add or take away depending on your taste)

Add a good few squirts of Sriracha hot sauce. (This is available in most supermarkets now or in your local Asian superstore)

And to give it a lovely glossy look and also a little bit more authentic taste a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.

Method

1  Pop your cucumber and carrot in the sweet and sour pickle mix and let that get lovely and marinated.

2  Next get the baguette ready, slice the length of it, smother it in the sriracha mayo, add your lettuce and then get the tofu ready.

3  You want a decent frying pan; add about an inch of vegetable oil.

4  Get it to just below smoking point then gently place all your tofu slices into it and let it crisp up till golden brown, turn over if you have to.

5  Let these dry off a touch on some kitchen towel.

6  Now place these all along the baguette, then add your pickle veg, remember to shake the excess vinegar off, then your fresh herbs and finally your fresh chillies.

7  You can either cut it up and share it equally, or rip it apart and give yourself the biggest sandwich, because you will be wishing you did once its gone.