Tofu Burger

Dear son has taken a very very great interest in fast food recently, you know, burgers and fries. He used to be satisfied with hotcakes when we went McDonalds for breakfast but these days, he wanted my Egg Muffin instead. He ended up eating half of my Egg Muffin and I had to take his hotcakes -_-

Hubby had a dinner appointment the other night and I thought of making tofu burger and oven baked fries for dear son and my dinner. 2 years back, I made Minced Pork & Tofu burger before but this time I wanted to try something slightly different. After taking reference from several blogs and online cooking guides, I decided to concoct my own recipe.

The tofu patties were really easy to make, besides firm tofu (tau kwa), I added minced chicken, carrot, mushroom, broccoli, onion, cheese and breadcrumbs. For flavouring, some sea salt, mixed herbs and spices like ground cumin (whatever I had in my pantry). It's actually quite versatile, different types of veggies could be added. Minced chicken is optional, I just wanted more texture. Next time, I would probably add seaweed and sesame seeds :) I made the tofu patties in the morning and chilled them in the fridge till evening so that the patties would be firmer for pan frying. Didn't have time to make my own burger buns, so I bought the Sunshine Butter Rolls which are the right size for my mini tofu patties (about 2 inch rounds).

To make the burger, I simply pan-fried the patties till slightly golden brown, and sandwiched it between the butter roll with some lettuce. The butter rolls could be lightly toasted with some butter or spread with some mayonaise or even ketchup for additional flavours.

The tofu patties could even be eaten on its own :)

Dear son loves the tofu burger! He ate one whole burger and an additional tofu patty. Besides that, he also ate at least 10 pieces of oven baked fries. Big appetite for a little fellow!

Tofu Patties

(Makes 10 pieces of 2 inch rounds)

Ingredients

• 1 block firm tofu (tau kwa)
• 3 tbsp minced chicken breast
• 1 medium purple onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 piece carrot, grated
• 3 fresh shiitake mushroom, finely chopped
• 3 stalks broccoli, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tbsp Japanese panko (breadcrumbs) + additional for sprinkling on top of patties
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Herbs and spices, dash

Method

1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, fry the onion for a few minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the carrot, broccoli and mushroom and stir fry for a few minutes till softened. Set aside and let the mixture cool down.
2. Mash the tofu using a potato masher or fork, add the minced chicken breast and cooled mixture (1) and mix well together.
3. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs, and mix evenly till mixture is firm. If mixture is too sticky and soft, add more breadcrumbs.
4. Shape the tofu mixture into patties depending on size and thickness desired. I made them into about 2 inch rounds (to fit the Sunshine Butter Rolls) and got 10 pieces.
5. Place the patties on a tray with greaseproof paper or Silpat. The patties will be slightly soft as tofu is used instead of all meat.
6. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top of each patty and press down gently. Cover with clingwrap and chill in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours.
7. When ready, fry the burger in a little oil or butter on medium high heat for few minutes, depending on the thickness of the patty. Serve warm, nice eaten on its own or with dips like mayo, ketchup, chilli sauce.