Vegan Gochujang & Fried Sesame Tofu Burger

This sticky, sweet, flavour-packed crispy tofu burger complete with zingy guacamole and caramalised kimchi served in a soft vegan brioche bun will be your go-to recipe for every occasion…

Done in 1 hour

Serves 2

Dish by Mia Jacobs

Ingredients

for the avocado smash

2small, ripe avocados

1 tspginger, minced

1 smallgarlic clove, minced

2 tspsesame oil

to tastelime juice

a pinchsalt

for the gochujang sauce

2 heaped tspgochujang paste

1 tbspsoy sauce

1 tbspsesame oil

2 tsplight brown sugar

1.5 tbspvegetable oil

1garlic clove, minced

1-2 tbspwater

for the crispy sesame tofu

140gextra firm tofu

75gplain flour

40gpanko breadcrumbs

2 big tbspsesame seeds

75mlplant based milk (oat, almond, whatever you have)

1 tspgarlic granules

for the caramalised kimchi

150gvegan kimchi

1 tsplight brown sugar

finishing touches

300mlvegetable or sunflower oil

2vegan brioche buns

1spring onion

2-3 tbspvegan mayo

1 tspGochujang

2 leaveslittle gem lettuce

Get ready for the most comforting and addictive vegan burger you've ever had. This is sticky, sweet, a little bit spicy and has all the textures you could want in one bite - crunch from the fried tofu, creaminess from the avocado, juiciness from the kimchi and fluffiness from that delightful brioche bun. Who knew vegan could taste this good? ME. Which is why I had to share it with you.

Method

Start by smashing your avocado - you can leave it chunky or go for a smoother consistency. Whatever floats your boat. Mix in all other ingredients for the smashed avocado then cover and set to one side.

Start your sauce by adding the gochujang paste to a bowl along with the other ingredients, except the oil. Give it all a good stir after adding each ingredient. Lastly, drizzle in the oil, whisking vigorously until you have a thick glossy sauce. Add in just enough water to loosen the sauce and make it drizzleable.

Grab 3 bowls. In one, add 30g plain flour. In another bowl mix the panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, and in the last bowl mix the remaining 45g plain flour with the milk (add the flour into the bowl first then gradually mix in the milk), a pinch of salt and the garlic granules.

Slice the tofu into 2 slabs that weigh about 70g each. Pat the tofu dry using kitchen roll or a clean tea towel then season with salt and pepper and toss them in the dry flour. Ensure each piece is fully coated.

Once they're fully coated, dunk the dusted tofu pieces into wet batter and make sure every inch of them are covered. Let any excess batter drip off then place the battered tofu in the panko sesame breadcrumb. Press down to ensure the breadcrumbs are firmly stuck to the tofu. Leave the breaded tofu to rest on a tray for 10 mins.

Squeeze extra moisture from the kimchi then place in a hot pan over medium heat and fry for 1-2 minutes with the brown sugar and a splash of oil until sticky, caramalised and golden.

Pour the veg oil into a deep frying pan or medium saucepan and heat over a medium high heat. Once it's hot, (you can test by adding a breadcrumb in, which should fizzle and float to the top of the oil) fry the tofu until golden, for about 6-7 minutes, depending on how thick your slabs are.

Slice the buns and brush the cut sides with oil or vegan mayonnaise. Fry in a clean, dry frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown and toasted.

While they're toasting, mix the vegan mayo and gochujang together in a small bowl, and slice your spring onions.

Get ready to assemble - take your toasted buns then load them with the vegan mayo, lettuce, crispy tofu, smashed ginger avocado, caramalised kimchi, gochujang sauce, sliced spring onions and more mayo. Enjoy!

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Mia Jacobs

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Mia is a self-taught cook with an obsession with street food and an absolute hatred for parsnips. Before joining Twisted Green, Mia founded an online vegan cooking school in the midst of the global pandemic and began teaching people all over the world how to cook incredible vegan food from the comfort of their own homes. Her mission was, and still is, to help transform kitchens everywhere from a daunting space to one that’s filled with the irresistible aroma of frying garlic, and some very special plant-based grub. She also believes that crisps and hummus are a gift to humanity.