Katsu tofu burger

MAKES: 4 burgers Ingredients

FOR THE TOFU: 4 tbsp cornflour; 50g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs; 4 tbsp plain flour; 400g firm tofu, drained and cut into 4 “steaks”; 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable oil, if frying

FOR THE CURRIED MAYO: 6 tbsp creamy “mayonnaise” (see below); 1 tsp curry powder; 1⁄4 tsp dried chilli powder; 1⁄4 tsp black onion seeds; 2 tsp lemon juice; pinch sea salt

TO SERVE: 4 burger buns, toasted; 8 baby gem lettuce leaves; pickled onion and radish (see below); 3 spring onions, chopped; fresh coriander Method

Heat your fryer to 170C or, if baking, preheat the oven to 180C.

First up, prepare the tofu. Mix the cornflour in a bowl with enough water to make a thick, sticky paste. Put the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and the plain flour in another.

Individually, dip each tofu steak first into the flour, then the cornflour paste (making sure it’s well covered), then finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Once all pieces are coated, set aside.

Mix together all the mayo ingredients and prepare the burger garnishes.

To cook the burgers, carefully deep-fry in the oil until golden, then drain on kitchen paper and season.

Alternatively, bake on a lined baking tray for 15 minutes.

Once the tofu is cooked, build your burger, making sure you have lashings of curried mayonnaise and plenty of the garnishes.

CREAMY “MAYONNAISE”: Ingredients

120ml unsweetened soy milk; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp lemon juice; 240ml rapeseed oil; pinch sea salt and white pepper

Method

Using a hand stick blender, combine the milk, vinegar and lemon juice in a tall jug. While blending, gradually drizzle in the oil. Keep blending until you’ve added all the oil and you have a creamy mayo-like consistency. Add seasoning to taste.

PICKLED ONION AND RADISH: Ingredients

1⁄2 red onion, sliced into rings; 8 radishes, finely sliced; 3 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp coconut sugar; pinch sea salt

Method

Put all the ingredients with 2 tbsp of water into a bowl, stir to combine and leave to lightly pickle.

This is an edited extract from

Vegan 100 by Gaz Oakley, published by Quadrille, RRP $29.99 and available in stores nationally.