The month of January is almost coming to an end and I think that’s a great shame! During this month I tried so many fun new things, and invented and developed so many new recipes! And the best part is that we have grown so much in our skills in food photography!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been on a cool food discovery journey. I’ve learned to cook tofu in more than five ways, and how to make it so tasty you won’t even miss meat. My father and Luis also enjoyed this process. This means that the journey does not end here, but continues!
That is why I can already announce that we have chosen a new ingredient to put in the spotlight in February, because a new month starts next Monday. Nothing is more fun than setting up your own challenge for yourself and striving for perfection. And that is why we proudly present this sushi burger today!
Since we’ve been cooking a lot of rice lately, we had a lot of leftover rice, especially the batches that came out too sticky. I’m also a bit tired of just eating rice with a sauce and some tofu blocks every time, so I wanted to step outside my comfort zone again. This is how this sushi burger was created.
It is so much fun to keep learning to make new dishes, play with new sauces and make new flavor combinations. But the best part of all is when your husband praises your creation and just wants to eat it! Or that your father says ‘You really have to make these for your in-laws, because they’ll really love it!’
While making this delicious snack, I not only got better at cooking rice, but I also learned a new way to prepare tofu! And all that frying might give off unpleasant smells that get into your clothes, but it can be damn tasty! Well, cook a portion of rice, squeeze your tofu and follow me into the kitchen!
Ingredients
For 2 burgers
- sunflower oil
- nori sheets
- lettuce
- other desired toppings
- parsley
Rice buns
- 300 boiled rice
- 1 teaspoon of mirin
- 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
- salt
Crunchy tofu burger
- 1 block of tofu of 200 gr, pressed
- breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs, beaten
- cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- salt
Burger sauce
- 40 ml soy sauce
- 20 ml of sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a little grated ginger
- chili flakes
- sesame seeds
Preparation
Squeeze the tofu for about 30 minutes and cook whatever rice you want or have at home. I used long white rice myself. Put everything you need to make this recipe out on the counter. Pour two fingers of sunflower oil into a frying pan.
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and let them slowly heat up until they boil, then turn the heat down. Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened. Beware: the sauce can burn quickly if you let it get too hot too quickly. Is it too fat? Then add a little soy sauce.
Once pressed, cut your tofu in half lengthwise so that you have two rectangles. Mix the herbs in a deep plate with the cornflour and beat your two eggs in another deep plate. Use a third plate for the breadcrumbs. Heat the frying pan with sunflower oil over medium heat.
Mix the rice vinegar, mirin and salt with the cooked rice and crush the rice slightly between your fingers if it is too hard. Then press a large ball of rice between your palms and gently squash it to form a bun. Everything must be pressed together well, so that your bun stays intact in the pan. Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a small frying pan and place your rice buns in it. Don’t press them and be careful when turning them over!
Pass the first block of tofu through the cornstarch and spices on the first plate. Make sure it is well covered on all sides. Then pass the block through the beaten egg, and then through the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded block in the frying pan with oil and let it fry for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it has the desired crispy crust.
When your buns are ready you can start stacking the burger: Start with a sheet of nori, then a rice bun, a bit of lettuce and other toppings of your choice. Then place the block of tofu on top. Then a bit of sauce again and wrap the strip of nori around the top bun! Voilà, a delicious vegan burger!
The result
You can of course make as much rice as you want and as many tofu burgers as you want! I was able to get two burgers out of the 200 gram block of tofu. I had to cut a bit off because the pieces of tofu came out bigger than the buns.
My dad literally said ‘if you eat this you forget all about meat, right?’ And I totally agree with that. I had never eaten a sushi burger before and I must admit that it was all a taste explosion in my mouth!
This recipe was also created because I had too much rice left over and two cubes of tofu had to be used. The sauce is really easy for me these days: just a little bit of this and a little bit of that! And the best thing about this recipe is that it is completely vegan. Can you believe that?
Now I am also curious if you have a way to make a vegan burger? Have you made this recipe, do you have a tasty or smart tip to finish this burger completely? Send it to me and who knows!
