This entire sandwich was pretty much created around wasbi cashew mayo. Once I got the idea for that stuff in my head I got into I need to make this now mode. This was my second attempt at wasabi mayo sandwich, the first being something I’d planned on calling a “sushi sandwich,” which was pretty much just sushi veggies and wasabi mayo on toast. It was fine, but I was so enamored with the idea of wasabi mayo that “fine” just wasn’t gonna cut it. That led me to consider filling a sandwich with other vegan sushi ingredients, and in turn review some of my old sushi posts, which led me to this one. Smoky tofu would be the perfect compliment to wasabi mayo.
It was! I didn’t uses the exact same marinade as in the smoky tofu sushi recipe, but something pretty close. The sandwich did not taste like sushi. (The first version did, and like I said, it was pretty much just okay.) This sandwich did taste like awesome. Best flavor combo ever! And even though I consider smoky tofu to be the perfect compliment to wasabi mayo, I’m betting you’re going to want to put cashew wasabi mayo on everything from this day forth.
Another change over the original sushi recipe: I baked the tofu. When you eat sushi you’re just getting a teensy bit of you filling in each bite, so I focused on flavor in the sushi recipe. In these sandwiches I wanted tofu you could sink your teeth into. Baked tofu is very teeth-sinkable. It’s also super flavorful. You press it before baking to squeeze all the flavorless tofu water out, then marinade it to replace the liquid with flavor-packed goodness. Seriously, if you ever meet someone that tells you tofu is bland, bake them up a batch of this stuff. You’ll have a tofu addict on you hands pretty soon.
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed at least 30 minutes
- 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. powdered wasabi
- 1 tbsp. unflavored soy milk
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 6-8 slices sandwich bread, toasted
- ½ cucumber, sliced thin
- 2 cups lettuce, baby spinach or arugula
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1-2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- Slice tofu into ¼ inch thick slabs and place in a shallow dish.
- Whisk vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, liquid smoke and ginger together in a small bowl. Pour over tofu.
- Allow tofu to marinade for at least 30 minutes, turning once or twice to recoat all surfaces.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange tofu slabs in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake tofu for 40 minutes, gently turning once about halfway through cooking.
- Place cashews into food processor and blend to a thick paste, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Slather one side of each bread slice with wasabi cashew mayo. Divide tofu onto mayo layers of half of your bread slices, then top with greens cucumbers, greens and scallions. Drizzle veggies with rice vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread slices.
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