Grilled Open-Faced Cauliflower Banh Mi

Every time I eat a vegetarian bánh mì, I’m surprised and delighted by how much flavor is packed into every bite. Living in New York City has opened my eyes to the variety of interesting and delicious ways to make one, including using seared tofu, silky eggplant, planks of sweet potato, and, my favorite, spicy cauliflower.

I’d never thought to make a bánh mì at home — unsure I could re-create the salty-spicy-tangy flavor combo — until recently, when I started spending more time at the grill. One of the first things I realized was how easily the grill adds bold, smoky flavor to veggies without any extra work at all. As I slathered charred baguette quarters with spicy mayo, piled on the grilled cauliflower florets (which I tossed in a simple soy-Sriracha marinade), and topped each sandwich off with a colorful mix of quick-pickled veggies, my fear of making a bland bánh mì quickly faded.

I like to start with the pickles, because they benefit from sitting as you prepare the rest of the sandwiches. There’s no need to heat the pickling liquid — simply toss the carrot, cucumbers, radishes, and the fresh chile with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. You have a lot of leeway here: Feel free to slice the veggies however you like, use a daikon radish instead of the small round red ones, or opt for an English cucumber instead of Persian.

Then, I brush a split baguette with olive oil, toss cauliflower florets in a simple marinade, and throw them both on the grill until charred to my liking. And then comes the fun part: assembly. Bread, mayo, cauliflower, pickles, fresh cilantro — I like to keep these open-faced so that the bread doesn’t overpower the veggies, but I’ll admit they’re a little messy to eat. If you like, you can cut the baguette quarters in half or thirds to make them a bit easier to handle.

Want to experiment with other ingredients and flavors? Here are eight expert tips for building the perfect banh mi sandwich — and plenty of suggestions for how to customize it.