The weather is warming up finally and with that BBQ season is about to open. I don’t want you to feel left out at a family BBQ so here I come with a simple recipe for Korean tofu burger. In the spirit of honesty, I have not had a chance to try it on a BBQ yet but I am pretty sure it will do well and I’ll be on it as soon as I dust of my Weber.
My Korean tofu burgers consist of two key elements – gochujang glazed tofu steaks and a super simple cabbage slaw. The third component, which is equally important to me but I am probably in the minority here, is soft and buttery brioche buns. As I have not been able to find these vegan anywhere, I made them ahead of time, but any good burger buns will do if you are not as fussy as me.
The tofu steaks benefit from some seasoning and pre-baking first to give them a chewier texture and then they get glazed and baked on repeat to add flavour. The slaw comes together really quickly. The whole thing tastes delicious and makes for a very satisfying, protein and fibre rich meal. It went down well in my house and I hope it will do well in yours too.
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
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TOFU: Tofu is one of the key ingredients in this simple Korean tofu burger recipe. For convenience, I used an already pressed tofu brand – Tofoo, which is widely available in the UK. I used size XL and cut it into slices widthwise and kept the remainder for a bolognese.. If using unpressed tofu, use 400 g / 14 oz and press well.
GOCHUJANG: Gochujang is a smoky Korean chilli paste that you’ll find in Asian stores and well stocked supermarkets. It’s spicy but I feel that the amount I used in this recipe is balanced well by other components of this burger – the bun, the slaw and the avocado. You can reduce the amount of paste if you wish but some of this dish’es flavour will be lost so I don’t recommend it.
SOY SAUCE: I used all purpose soy sauce to season the tofu steaks and to season the marinade. If you are gluten-free, you can use tamari instead of soy sauce.
MAPLE SYRUP: I used a bit of maple syrup to add sweetness to the glaze and to help with caramelisation. You can use sugar instead, although I would recommend light or dark muscovado rather than white.
ACID: I added a dash of acid to balance the marinade. I used rice wine vinegar, but apple cider vinegar or lime juice would also work well.
VEGGIES: I made a simple cabbage slaw to accompany the steaks. I combined two types of cabbage – red and white – with some carrot, radishes, fresh coriander and spring onions. Any slaw-friendly – i.e. not wet – veggies can be used instead.
MAYO: I made a super simple slaw that is brought together by a bit of vegan mayo.
AVOCADO: I like to use some avocado in my burgers it’s a source of healthy fat and works well to add some creamy texture to the dish.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
1) MARINATE THE TOFU
Cut pressed tofu into four steaks and marinade in some soy sauce (or tamari if GF) mixed in with a little bit of gochujang paste for at least 30 minutes. Next bake until a little dried out, about 20-30 minutes depending if you used an already pressed block of tofu (which tends to be denser and therefore hold less water) than a block you pressed at home, which tends to hold more water even after pressing.
2) PEPARE THE GLAZE
Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well.
3) BAKE AND GLAZE, ON REPEAT
Brush liberal amount of the glaze onto the prebaked tofu steaks and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Repeat at least one more time or until you used up all of the glaze.
4) MAKE A SLAW
Make a quick slaw by combining thinly sliced vegetables, with chopped herbs and spring onions in a medium mixing bowl. Stir through some vegan mayo, season with salt and pepper to taste.
5) ASSEMBLE & ENJOY!!
Finally assemble the burgers. Cut your buns in half, brush with a little oil and toast on a hot skillet or a griddle pan. Spread avocado at the bottom of each bun, follow up by 2 tofu steaks (or 1 if you want them meal to stretch to 4 people) and top with slaw. Consume immediately.
- 250 g / 8.8 oz pressed tofu (I used Tofoo)*
- 30 ml / 2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 30 g / 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 30 g / 2 tbsp thick vegan yoghurt (I used The Coconut Collaborative)
- 15 ml / 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 7 ml / 1½ tsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 2 burger buns (I made vegan brioche buns)
- 1 ripe avocado
SLAW
- 150 g / 5.25 oz cabbage, I used red and white
- 1 small carrot
- 1 spring onion / scallion
- 4 radishes
- handful of coriander / cilantro
- 45 g / 3 tbsp vegan mayo
- salt & pepper
- Slice well pressed (I use Tofoo, which comes pressed already) tofu into thick 0.75 cm / 0.3 inch steaks. In a shallow dish combine 1 tbsp (15 ml) of soy sauce and 1 tsp of gochujang. Marinate tofu steaks for at least 30 minutes.
- Whisk the rest of gochujang paste with vegan yoghurt, maple syrup, rice vinegar, 15 ml / 1 tbsp soy sauce and half a teaspoon of cornstarch (mix cornstarch into some liquid first to avoid lumps) in a bowl. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200° C / 390° F (or 180° C / 355° F on a fan setting) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange marinated tofu on top and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on whether it comes already pressed or if you pressed it yourself – the latter is likely to need a little longer) flipping once at half way point.
- Liberally brush on the glaze and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Repeat 2-3 more times or until you used up all of the marinade.
SLAW
- Slice all of the veggies really thinly using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Chop coriander and slice spring onion finely.
- Place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss in mayo.
ASSMBLE
- Cut each bun in half, brush each half with a bit of oil and toast the buns cut side down on a preheated skillet or griddle pan until lightly charred.
- Place avocado slices on the bottom, follow up by 2 steaks of glazed tofu and some slaw. Serve with fries for extra heft. Consume immediately.