Vietnamese-inspired Tofu Tacos

Although today is the day of love, I’m here celebrating my long-term healthy relationship with food. Food and I have come very far in our struggles together. In fact, I used to view food as that evil fuck boy who would screw me over because I couldn’t resist it but as a recovered ED victim, I approach food now with love and on my own terms. Thus, my healthy vegan Vietnamese tacos were born! I came up with these by abiding by my rules, my dietary boundaries, and my desires.

Vietnamese-inspired Tofu Tacos

Makes 10 tacos | Cook time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1 block of extra firm tofu

• 3 carrots 

• 1 medium piece of daikon 

• 1 cucumber 

• 1 bunch of cilantro 

• 1 pack of corn tortillas (should come with 50) 

• 1 fresh or frozen lemongrass (can be found in the freezer section at your local asian market) 

• 2 tbsp fish sauce (I used Ocean Halo’s vegan alternative) 

• 1 tbsp sesame oil 

• ¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise (I used TJ’s) 

• 3 cloves of garlic 

• 1 bunch of green onions, white portion only 

• 1 cup of vinegar

• 2 cups of warm water 

• 1 cup of sugar (I use monkfruit) 

• 2 tbsp of salt 

• 2 tbsp coconut aminos 

• 1 tbsp garlic powder 

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• Dash of paprika

• Avocado oil to spray 

• Optional: jalapenos 

Instructions (for pickled carrots and daikon) 

1. Peel the skin off of your carrots and daikon. Chop them into strips then line up the strips and thinly cut into long thin lines. If you have a shredder, you can use this too to achieve the same shape. 

2. Sprinkle your carrots and daikon with ¼ cup of sugar and a dash of salt then use your hands to coat your veggies. Allow this to soften your veggies for 10 minutes. 

3. After 10 minutes, rinse your carrots and daikon with cold water. Place them into a glass jar or container. 

4. Add the vinegar, warm water, ½ cup of sugar, and 1 tbsp of salt into the container. Shake it up and let it sit for at least an hour. 

Instructions (for tacos + sauce) 

1. Open, drain, and press your tofu. I like to use something heavy like my cast iron to get the moisture out. Cut it up into rectangles like this and set aside. 

2. Make the marinade for the tofu with coconut aminos, garlic powder, a dash of paprika, and cornstarch to achieve the ultimate crisp. Mix until the cornstarch is dissolved and add your tofu in. 

3. Add the tofu into the sauce, and coat evenly by tossing it around the bowl but try not to break the pieces.

4. Place your tofu into the air fryer and cook at 370 for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

5. Cut up your suggestively shaped cucumber into matchsticks and scoop out the insides with a spoon. 

6. Into a blender, add garlic, the whites of green onions, cilantro stems, lemongrass, vegan mayo, fish sauce, sesame oil, ¼ cup of sugar, and lots of lime. Blend until smooth. 

7. Heat your skillet on high and cook your tortillas until they bubble then flip onto the other side. Assemble your tacos like so and don’t skimp on that sauce. Recipe for pickled carrots and daikon in my next video. Enjoy!