Tofu Bun Burgers
You may have noticed on social media that I have been in California for the past 3 weeks or so. I ate all the foods that the state had to offer and now I am back and very inspired with tons of new ideas! This idea is a combination of a few different things I ate, but I got the idea by seeing a little piece of fried tofu being used almost as a crostini in a passed appetizer. I thought it was pretty clever and came up with a few other ways to replace bread with tofu. Obviously my brain went to burgers first.
One package of tofu is the perfect size for the top and bottom buns of 2 burgers.
Caramelize some onions way down to give this burger a boost of burger flavor since there is so many non traditional things going on.
Fry the tofu on each side. I thought the sesame seeds were a nice touch emulating a burger bun but also tying in with the Asian flavors.
Bottom bun, followed by hoisin sauce, then the burger topped with munster cheese. Next goes peanuts and onions.
Then cucumber, cilantro, and sriracha. I like the freshness the cucumber and cilantro give the sandwich. They provide a much needed contrast to all the deep umami richness.
This burger was fully stable and not a falling apart mess like I thought it might be. Just make sure to fry the tofu well and it becomes pretty strong!
The Asian flavors in this burger are fresh, spicy, and delicious and pair well with the tofu. I thought it would be weird to make a tofu bun burger but just put lettuce and tomato on it.
A unique twist on a burger that anyone can make at home!
Tofu Bun Burgers
A cheese burger with peanuts, caramelized onions, cilantro, cucumbers, hoisin, sriracha, and two slabs of fried tofu as the buns.
Servings: 2 burgers
Ingredients
- 1 large onion thin sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon chile flake
- 12 ounces extra firm tofu
- sesame seeds
- 12 ounces ground beef
- 2 slices munster cheese
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha
- peanuts
- cilantro
Instructions
- Cook the onion in a pan with the butter and chile flakes on medium heat. Stir often and cook about 20 minutes until fully caramelized.
- Drain the tofu. Place the tofu on its side and slice down the center the long way. Slice each half in half again so you are left with 4 thin rectangular tofu slices.
- Place the sliced tofu on paper towels to dry.
- Meanwhile, split the ground beef in half and form two burgers the same size as the tofu.
- Place the tofu on a hot griddle or frying pan with some oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds onto each piece of tofu to emulate a burger bun and lightly press them in.
- Flip the tofu to brown the other side.
- Meanwhile, cook the burger to medium, adding the cheese after flipping.
- Build the burger by placing the bottom bun, followed by a smear of hoisin, then the burger, then the onions, peanuts, cucumber, cilantro, sriracha, and the top bun. Serve!