TOFU BURGER

At the heart of this utterly delicious burger lies a Tofu patty that’s hearty, healthy and delightfully simple to make. Tofu is crumbled, combined with oatmeal, some mushed up bread and other choice seasonings, turned into a patty and seared. Healthy Burgers are usually an oxymoron but I guess it’s safe to call this just that!

A big shout out to my aunt Shantha mami for the recipe (we’re still trying to figure out how we’re related). At 80 years of age she lives alone and is an avid cook, gardener, knitter, traveller, reader, food enthusiast and an extremely positive person…basically very interesting and inspiring.

The last time I visited her, I pored over her hand-written recipe book in between trips to the Niagara, CN Tower and other attractions & distractions. I clicked pictures of everything that interested me which was pretty much the whole book.

If I had come across the same recipe on the world wide web, Im not sure whether it would’ve moved me enough to actually gather all the ingredients and make it. But I’m such a sucker for handwritten-hand-me-down kind of recipes. And I couldn’t be happier about giving it a go, because what it promises and delivers is a delicious, nutritious, and enjoyable meal in a matter of minutes!

RECIPE FOR TOFU BURGER – MAKES 8 BURGERS

INGREDIENTS

1. Extra Firm Tofu – 14 oz or 396 gms
2. Rolled oatmeal – 1/2 cup
3. Onions ( finely chopped) – 1/4 cup
4. Garlic – 2 pods grated
5. Cilantro (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
6. Cumin powder – 1 tsp
7. Dried Oregano – 2 tsps
8. Dried Basil – 2 tsps
9. Salt – 1 tsp or as needed
10. Green Chillies finely chopped – 2 (Optional)
11. Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
12. Bread slices – 2
13. Oil – 1/4 cup
14. Burger buns – 8
15. Sliced onion, tomatoes and other desired burger condiments

METHOD

1. Squeeze the water out of the tofu. Add it to a bowl and crumble.
2. Pulse the oats in the mixer a few times until it resembles a coarse powder. Add to the tofu.
3. Add ingredients 3 – 12 to this and mix well. Apportion into 8 balls. Flatten them and make patties.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet (preferably a cast iron one). Cook the Tofu Patties on both sides until they turn brown and crisp up about 3 mins on each side.
5. Assemble the burger. Toast the burger buns. I like to spread some mayonnaise and then toast the buns. Add some sliced onions and tomatoes, a drizzle of mustard and the patty. Enjoy!

NOTE

1. If the patty is soggy and not holding it’s shape, just add a little more oat flour or another slice of bread.
2. You could add any choice of seasonings/spice that you’ve got on hand.