Veggie Bánh Mì Pizza with Crispy Tofu
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A Vietnamese-inspired pizza topped with spicy fried tofu, pickled veggies, a hoisin-based sauce, and of course, lots of Sriracha!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Serves: One 12-inch pizza
Ingredients
  • Dough*:
  • 1⅓ cups warm water
  • 2¼ tsp instant yeast
  • 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp powdered ginger (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • .
  • Pickled Veggies:
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • ½ cucumber, julienned
  • 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • .
  • Spicy Fried Tofu:
  • 1 (350 g) package firm tofu, drained and dried**
  • 4 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 4 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp red chili sauce
  • ½ Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • .
  • Sauce:
  • 2 tsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • .
  • Fresh cilantro, to serve
  • Sriracha, to serve
Instructions
  1. To make dough: Preheat oven to 200°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast has dissolved and mixture is frothy. Add in flour, powdered ginger, sugar, salt, and olive oil; knead on a low speed for 5-10 minutes until dough has formed. It should be elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with aluminum foil, and place bowl in the oven. TURN OVEN OFF. Let the dough rise in the warm oven for about 2 hours until it has doubled in size. Divide into two balls of dough, then use one for the remainder of this recipe. (Prepare another pizza with the second ball of dough, or store in the fridge for another night.)
  2. While dough is rising, prepare pickled veggies: combine all ingredients for the veggies in a small bowl, adding more rice wine vinegar if necessary to cover the veggies completely. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (longer if you have the time).
  3. Prepare tofu: Slice tofu into ½ inch pieces and toss with cornstarch. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then fry tofu pieces, turning often to ensure even browning, for about 5 minutes. Combine soy sauce, red chili sauce, brown sugar, and water in a separate bowl; add to skillet with tofu and cook for another 5-8 minutes until the liquid has absorbed and the tofu looks brown and "glazed". Remove from skillet and set aside.
  4. When you're ready to make the pizza, preheat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a baking sheet/pizza stone, then roll out the dough over top. You may need to add a bit of flour to the rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. Spread a thin layer of olive oil over top of the dough, then bake for 12-15 minutes until dough is golden brown.
  5. While dough is cooking, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
  6. Drain the pickled veggies.
  7. Remove dough from oven and spread sauce on top. Layer the pizza with the pickled veggies, prepared tofu, cilantro, and sriracha, if desired. Slice and serve.
Notes
*This pizza dough is my favourite recipe, and it makes enough for two 12-inch pizzas. Once the dough has risen, simply divide it in half, cover each ball of dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

**To dry the tofu, remove from package, then pat dry. Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels, place on a plate, and rest a heavy book on top of the tofu. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, remove paper towel and pat dry.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/veggie-banh-mi-pizza-with-crispy-tofu/