Tofu Katsu Burger

Name: Tofu Katsu Burger with Togarashi Fries
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 90 ml soy sauce; 90 ml sake; 90 ml mirin; 1 Tbs brown sugar (optional); 4 cloves garlic (crushed); Thumb sized knob of ginger (grated and squeezed); 2.5 tbsp Apple cider vinegar; 4 tbsp ketchup; 1.5 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1.5 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp yellow mustard; 1/8 tsp onion powder; 1/8 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 1/8 tsp of allspice; optional Tabasco (or Frank’s to taste); 2 tbsp mayo; 1 tbsp tonkatsu; 1 tbs roasted and crushed white sesame seeds; 100 g white cabbage; 50 g red cabbage; Breaded tofu steaks:; 200 g extra firm tofu (marinated); 120 g flour (plain); 100 g breadcrumbs (panko or regular); 100 ml milk (oat barista style works well); Veg oil for frying (sun flower - anything neutral); 2-3 medium potatoes (Maris pipers or any good chipping spuds)

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Tofu is a blank canvas on which you can paint a whole variety of flavours and textures, inventing new ways to add a bit of va va voom into your culinary life. This breaded tofu katsu burger is probably the most indulgent way to consume your cubism dream. It rests on a bed of miso-mayo and watercress, and is topped off with pickles and crunchy Tonskatsu-sesame coleslaw. Oven-baked Togarashi fries are the ideal accompaniment and they go so well with our homemade Tonkatsu dipping sauce.

Deep fried, breaded tofu burger in a bun, with miso mayonnaise, pickles and crunchy, asian coleslaw

We created this tofu burger recipe after my partner, Jess, suggested we try making burgers with some left-over teriyaki tofu steaks. It worked a treat, but to give the tofu a thicker, crisper coating, for that extra burger crunch, I decided to make them again. This time I covered them in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried the tofu. This is what makes our tofu "katsu style" and I think it's a winner. Hope you love this one as much as we do!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Quick tips for making Tofu Katsu Burgers
FAQ
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Tofu Katsu Burger with Togarashi Fries

Ingredients

Serves 2 | Prep time 30 minutes | Cooking time 15 minutes

Additional time needed for marinating tofu.

Tofu marinade:

90ml soy sauce
90ml sake
90ml mirin
1 Tbs brown sugar (optional)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
Thumb sized knob of ginger (grated and squeezed)

Tonkatsu Sauce:

2.5 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoon ketchup
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon of allspice
optional Tabasco (or Frank’s) to taste

Coleslaw:

2tbsp mayo
1tbsp tonkatsu
1 tbs roasted and crushed white sesame seeds
100g white cabbage
50g red cabbage
Breaded tofu steaks:
200g extra firm tofu (marinated)
120g flour (plain)
100g breadcrumbs (panko or regular)
100ml milk (oat barista style works well)
Veg oil for frying (sun flower - anything neutral)

Togarashi Fries:

2-3 medium potatoes (Maris pipers or any good chipping spuds)
1 tablespoon oil
Big pinch of salt
1 tspn of Shichimi Togorashi

Miso Mayo:

1.5 tbs mayo (vegan)
2 teaspoon white miso

Other items:

2 Burger bun
2 handfuls of Watercress (or some other crunchy salad green)
10-12 sliced pickles (any burger pickle you like)

Instructions

Step 1 of recipe. Teriyaki marinade ingredients combined in a pan simmering to reduce

Step 1: Make your teriyaki style marinade by adding soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 4-5 minutes to reduce slightly, then take off the heat.

Step 2 of recipe. Marinade in a pan cooling off with crushed garlic and ginger floating on top.

Step 2: Next, grate your ginger and squeeze to extract it’s juices into the marinade (discard the solids). Then peel and crush your garlic and add it into the marinade.

Tofu cut into large, chunky finger length pieces, soaking in teriyaki marinade, speckled with crushed garlic.

Step 3: Chop your tofu up into chunky fingers (approximately 2cm x 3cm), and single layer them in an airtight container. Pour over your marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (or up to 72 hours).

Tonkatsu sauce, a brown thick, ketchup like sauce, prepared and whisky up in a bowl

Step 4: About 45 mins before you’re ready to eat, make the sauces: Start with the tonkatsu, by simply adding all the tonkatsu ingredients into a bowl - wet ingredients first, then powders and spices on top. Whisk to combine.

Toasted sesame seeds ground down into a powdery paste in a pestle and mortar

Step 5: Now make the coleslaw dressing: Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden. Pop them into a pestle and mortar then roughly crush the sesame seeds to release their nutty aroma.

Tonkatsu sauce and mayonnaise combined together in a bowl. A silver desert spoon resting in the centre of it post mixing

Step 6: Add the crushed sesame seeds and tonkatsu to the mayonnaise and mix together with a fork. This should taste smoky, sweet, sour and slightly salty.

Thinly sliced red and white cabbage that has been combined with Tonkatsu mayonnaise in a white mixing bowl.

Step 7: Chop your cabbage thinly and, in a large mixing bowl, combine with the dressing until evenly dispersed. That's the coleslaw complete, now set it aside.

Mayonnaise and miso paste mixed together in a bowl forming a smooth light brown thick sauce.

Step 8: Mix the mayo and miso together in a small bowl until it's one homogenous sauce. Miso mayo complete. Set aside.

Potatoes hand cut into fries tossed in oil in an oven dish ready to go into the oven

Step 9: Preheat your oven to 200℃ (390℉) while you prepare the fries: Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into long fry/chip shapes. Coat them with oil, place in an oven dish and bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes, flipping once to ensure an even golden-brown finish.

Breaded tofu resting on a plate ready to be deep fried

Step 10: Meanwhile, prepare 3 plates for breading the marinated tofu; one with flour, one with milk and another with breadcrumbs. Double-dip the tofu steaks; first in flour, then milk and repeat before dousing in breadcrumbs ensuring all sides are covered.

Breaded tofu being deep fried in hot oil, sizzling away.

Step 11: Heat around 2cm of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil reaches approximately 180℃ (365℉), gently place the tofu steaks in - they should sizzle upon contact. Fry each side for about 2-2.5 minutes until golden brown. Lift the steaks out carefully and drain on a cooling rack or kitchen towel.

Halved buns, being toasted in a large frying pan, slightly charred and toasted.

Step 12: Halve and open your buns and toast the inner sides either under a grill or in a frying pan on a high heat. Toast until slightly charred.

Tofu Katsu burger, in a bun with toppings, on a marble plate.

Step 13: Now we’re ready to stack our burgers so get your favorite burger eating plate ready! Go bun, miso mayo (1 tablespoon or so), watercress, 2 tofu steaks, pickles, coleslaw (big dollop), tonkatsu sauce (a healthy drizzle), top bun. Done.

Cooked, golden brown fried in a bowl after being tossed in japanese seven spice and salt. Ready for plating up

Step 14: By now your fries should be ready so take them out of the oven, transfer to a mixing bowl and season with a big pinch of salt and some shichimi togarashi seasoning. Serve next to your tofu katsu burgers and feel free to use the leftover tonkatsu for dipping!

These quickly became a family favorite for us and are a great option instead of take-out or just when we want to catch up over a few drinks while cooking together. The burgers are huge and super filling, so make sure you're hungry! Enjoy with a beer straight from the fridge or your choice of cold beverage.

Substitutions

Here are a few ways we've mixed things up

Bun - if you can find a vegan brioche bun (or make your own!) this would be the optimal choice for its texture compared to ordinary white buns
Coleslaw - Swap half the cabbage for grated carrot for a slightly sweeter slaw
Pickles - There are so many varieties you can choose from, including your own if you make them. We recommend adding your favorites or trying ours; beetroot, red onion, cauliflower, carrot and dill pickles.

Quick tips for making Tofu Katsu Burgers

Marinating the tofu is an essential step in this burger recipe as it will infuse the tofu with a big burst of flavor, which is exactly what we're after. This process requires a bit of pre-planning, but the payoff is absolutely worth the effort. Marinating the tofu the night before your burger feast will give it a solid 12-24 hours to soak up all that flavor in the fridge overnight. However, one of the beauties of this process is its forgiving nature. Should you forget about your tofu, or if your dinner plans unexpectedly change, leaving your tofu in the marinade for longer - up to 72 hours - is not a problem. In fact, the increased infusion time will enhance the flavor for an even tastier result.

FAQ

What is katsu in Japanese cooking?

'Katsu' in Japanee cooking is where a cutlet of usually meat or fish is dipped in flaky panko bread crumbs, then deep-fried. The word katsu literally comes from the Japanese word 'katsuretsu' or 'cutlet' in English. We've played with it a bit here making it completely vegan but just as delicious!

What is katsu made of?

Katsu is the 'cutlet', so that is totally up to you! We've chosen tofu but we've also made aubergine katsu, tempeh katsu and many more, there are lots of choices for your katsu!

What flavor is katsu?

It depends, in general a katsu dish can have many different flavors. In our tofu katsu burger recipe, though, we marinate the tofu in a teriyaki marinade before breading and deep-frying, so those sweet-salty-soy flavors infuse the tofu for a flavor that's both traditional and delicious!

What is togarashi seasoning made of?

Also known as shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven spice, togarashi is made of a combination of red chili pepper, sansho pepper, hemp and/or poppy seeds, sesame seeds, ginger, citrus peel and nori seaweed.

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