This recipe is not hard, but it does take some time getting all the parts together.  I remember having my first taste of a Po’ Boy visiting my sister at college down in Louisiana; the memory of that deliciously messy sandwich stuck with me. These sandwiches brought back that taste and helped me get over my fear of frying!  Rob loved this dish from the first time I made it and frequently requests it to celebrate and relax.  The recipe is adapted from the recipe in the amazing cookbook Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.  It is just perfect: spicy, chewy, crunchy, and satisfying.

There are several parts of this recipe – the fried tofu, coleslaw and chipotle mayo – to prepare before you put it altogether.  Here are the ingredients you will need to make this wonderful sandwich:

• Coleslaw ( you could always save time and buy some premade)
• Cornmeal encrusted Fried Tofu
• Pickles
• Chipotle Mayo ( I think you can buy this premade, but if you have a blender, a can of chipotle peppers, and some vegenaise it takes no time at all to make)
• 1 baguette

I prep everything in the following order:

1. Make the coleslaw
2. Prep and begin frying the tofu
3. Make the chipotle mayo while the tofu is frying
4. Chop the pickles and cut the baguette while the tofu finishes frying
5. Assemble the sandwich – don’t forget to add some extra coleslaw on the side!

Step 1:

Slaw Dressing

• About 1/4 cup vegenaise
• A splash of milk or nondairy milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Pepper
• Mustard Powder

Slaw

• 1 carrot shredded
• 4 cups purple cabbage chopped finely
• Generous pinch of dried dill

1. Mix the dressing in a medium bowl
2. Add the carrot and cabbage
3. Mix and set aside

Step 2:

For The Batter

Dry:

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• A couple tablespoons chili powder
• Large pinch of cumin
• Dash of cayenne
• Salt to taste

Mix the above ingredients with a fork in a bowl

Wet:

• 1 cup milk of your choice
• Couple tablespoons cornstarch

Mix these two with a fork in a bowl

The Tofu

1 1lb block of tofu cut into triangles ( cut block into 6-10 slices and then cut each slice in half diagonally)

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan ( I use a cast iron skillet)
2. Dip each piece of tofu into the milk mixture and then drop it into the cornmeal to coat
   1. Tip:  It really helps to use one hand for the milk mixture and the other for the cornmeal
3. Place tofu in skillet – you will probably need to do two batches, fry for 2-4 minutes until golden. Flip and fry the other side until golden 2-3 minutes
4. Remove tofu to a paper towel lined plate to drain, these crunchy pieces are so good!

Step 3  (while 1st batch of tofu is frying, I promise you are almost done!):

Chipotle Mayo

• 2-3 chipotle peppers from  a can with a bit of the sauce
• 1/2 – 1 cup of vegenaise depending on how spicy you want your mayo

1. Put it all in the blender and turn it on, that’s it!

Step 4 (while second batch of tofu is frying):

1. Slice a few dill pickles
2. Cut the baguette in half and then split into two hoagie-like rolls ( or just buy some big rolls!)

Step 5:

Time to put it altogether –

1. Slather both sides with the mayo
2. Line up 3-4 pieces of tofu
3. Top with a generous scoop of the coleslaw and slices of pickles

If this has your head swimming I promise it isn’t so bad!  This sandwich is best made when you have plenty of time to leisurely cook away in the kitchen.  If you like it enough to make more than once (and you will!) it soon becomes much less intimidating, I can whip this up by memory I have made it so many times.  Enjoy!