You've probably seen tofu in stir fries or tofu scramble, but have you ever seen it in a burger? We're so excited to share this recipe because the texture is spongy and almost meat-like. Fill it with your favorite toppings, and you will have yourself a juicy and decadent burger.
Tofu Katsu
Ingredients
2 blocks 16 oz firm/extra firm tofu, drained and frozen
salt and pepper mixture, 2 tsp each
1 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup cornstarch + 1/3 cup unsweetened plant milk, slurry in large bowl
2 cups panko
canola/vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
Toppings & Finishes
package of hamburger buns
vegan mayonnaise
cabbage, chopped
vegan cheese slices (we used Violife)
katsu sauce or teriyaki sauce
any other toppings you'd like
Instructions
Thaw tofu. Then tofu in absorbent towel. Using heavy weights, press the tofu for ~10 minutes. Unwrap tofu and slice in half horizontally. Lay tofu pieces on long side and slice down the middle to create thinner slices of tofu (splitting it down the middle). Repeat for all tofu blocks (8 tofu slices total)
Sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of each tofu slice.
Set up 3 large bowls to bread the tofu. Bowls will go in this order: (1) Cornstarch + garlic powder (2) Cornstarch-milk slurry (3) Panko + salt
In medium pan, add oil for frying, filling it 1/4 inch high. Add 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch to oil and mix (this will help with splatter). Heat oil to 360F.
Coat tofu slice in bowl (1), dredge tofu in bowl (2), cover tofu with panko in bowl (3). Then repeat bowls (2) and (3) again to double-bread tofu slice. (Basically go in this order: 1-2-3-2-3). *Note: remember to occasionally stir the cornstarch slurry (2) so that the cornstarch doesn't pool to the bottom.
Place 2-3 tofu slices in pan and fry each side until they're golden brown (2-3 minutes each side). If the breadcrumbs are burning, lower the heat. Remove and place on cooling rack or paper towels. Repeat until all tofu is fried.
Burger Assembly
Add vegan mayonnaise to bread slices. Then add tofu katsu.
Drizzle katsu sauce on top of tofu slice. Then add vegan cheese. You can melt the cheese by heating the katsu in a pan on the stove on medium-low heat, or you can microwave it. We used a blowtorch.
Finish with cabbage and any other toppings you'd like. Makes 8 burgers.