If you're looking for hostel food ideas, this is a creative one! Plus, it's also easy to take away and bring it along for backpacking or camping. This is not the first hostel food dish that comes to mind but trust us, it will please everybody and it's super simple to cook.
First, a quick hostel food tips: ALWAYS check in the kitchen first, you might find what you need. Often there is a "free to use" space with spices, flour, oils and so on. Don't be afraid, the recipe looks longer than it actually takes! Try it even if you miss some ingredient, it could be just fine without it.
Preparation: 35 min
Cooking: 15 min
Recipe for 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the curry sauce:
- 1 teaspoon of curry powder
- 1 clove of chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (Maizena can be found in many countries)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 3 teaspoons of alcohol vinegar (any vinegar is fine)
- 8 tablespoons of water
For the pickled vegetables:
- 2 small peeled carrots
- 1 peeled cucumber
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 6 teaspoons of vinegar
For the marinated tofu:
- 150g of firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil + 1 for cooking
- ½ lemon juice and zest
- 1 clove of chopped garlic
- Pepper
For the dressing:
- 2 baguettes (or any bread you like)
- Coriander
- 8 tablespoons of mayonnaise (classic or vegan)
1. For the curry sauce: mix in the blender salt, vinegar, water, cornstarch and curry powder.
Pour into a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring constantly. When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and let cool. Store in the fridge in a small pot.
2. For the pickled vegetables: cut the vegetables into slices then into sticks (about 5cm x 4mm).
Place the sticks in a jar with the sugar, salt and vinegar. Mix and marinate for at least 1 hour, stirring the jar two or three times.
Tips: do it the day before or on the morning. It's a no brainer.
3. For the marinated tofu: Drain and dry the tofu. Cut it into strips about 5mm thick, 10cm long and 2cm wide. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, chopped garlic, pepper and olive oil.
Place the tofu slices in the marinade and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Tips: same as the vegetables. Do it the day before or on the morning.
4. For the fried tofu: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. When the pan is hot, put the tofu slices to cook. When they are well toasted, with the edges browned, turn them over to cook the other side.
Tips: pour over some marinade when the tofu is fried and turn off the heat immediately.
5. Prepare the sandwiches: cut the baguette in half and open each piece of bread lengthwise on one side only. Brush each side of the bread with mayonnaise. Add the pickled vegetables and the fried tofu.
Finally, add the curry sauce and small piece of coriander to your convenience.
Tips: if you don't want to use mayonnaise, try anything you like, it might work just as fine. Please do tell us in the comments ;)
Bon appétit !