Crispy Tofu Banh Mi Bowl

Ingredients

• 280 g firm tofu, pressed, cubed
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 x 250g pouch microwave jasmine rice
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 carrot, grated
• 0.5 cucumber, sliced into half-moons
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 15g coriander, leaves picked
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• pickled daikon, to serve
• Vietnamese-style baguette or crusty white baguette, to serve
• crispy fried shallots, to serve

Method

1. Start with the pickle so it has time to work. Toss the grated carrot with the rice vinegar, caster sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside for at least 10 minutes — it should soften, turn glossy and taste sharp-sweet. The vinegar is doing the seasoning here, so don't skip the salt.
2. Pat the pressed tofu cubes properly dry on kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no crust. Toss in the cornflour until every face is dusted matte white, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a stainless or cast-iron frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Lay the tofu in a single layer with space between each cube — crowd the pan and the cubes will steam against each other instead of crisping. Fry for 6–8 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until each face is deeply golden and audibly crisp when you nudge it.
4. Stir the soy and hoisin together in a small bowl. Lift the tofu out onto a plate, then pour the glaze straight into the hot pan. Let it bubble and reduce for 20–30 seconds, swirling, until it goes glossy and thickens to a lacquer — the hot pan turns the glaze into a proper sauce, not a paste. Slide the tofu back in and toss for another 30 seconds to coat in mahogany.
5. Ping the rice according to the pouch. Stir the sriracha through the mayo until streaky and salmon-pink. Taste the mayo and the glazed tofu — most of the salt comes from the soy and hoisin, but a final pinch over the rice ties the bowl together. Adjust now, not at the table.
6. Build the bowls: a base of hot jasmine rice, the sticky tofu piled on top, pickled carrot and cucumber half-moons tucked alongside, a generous zigzag of sriracha mayo. Scatter the coriander leaves and red chilli, tuck in the pickled daikon, shower over the crispy fried shallots, and sit a hunk of baguette on the side. Finish each bowl with a squeeze of lime over the tofu — the acid cuts straight through the glaze and wakes everything up.