Friday night fakeaway: Vegetarian okonomiyaki-inspired burgers

Name: Friday night fakeaway: Vegetarian okonomiyaki-inspired burgers
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1½ cups shredded green cabbage; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced; 1 zucchini, coarsely grated; 1 tsp sesame oil; 2 tbsp yuzu (or lime) juice; ½ cup plain flour; 2 tsp cornflour; ½ tsp baking powder; 250ml (1 cup) cold soda water; vegetable oil, to shallow fry; 500g firm tofu, drained and cut into 4 slices; 4 brioche burger buns; ¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise; ¼ cup store-bought okonomiyaki sauce; shredded nori and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Jessica Brook

January 23, 2024

Tempura tofu okonomiyaki burgers.James Moffatt

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

All the flavours of Japan’s favourite savoury pancake come together in this satisfying meat-free burger.

Ingredients

1½ cups shredded green cabbage
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, coarsely grated
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp yuzu (or lime) juice
½ cup plain flour
2 tsp cornflour
½ tsp baking powder
250ml (1 cup) cold soda water
vegetable oil, to shallow fry
500g firm tofu, drained and cut into 4 slices
4 brioche burger buns
¼ cup Japanese mayonnaise
¼ cup store-bought okonomiyaki sauce
shredded nori and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Method

Step 1
Mix the cabbage, spring onion, zucchini, sesame oil and yuzu juice together in a large bowl. Set slaw aside.
Step 2
To make the batter, mix the flour, cornflour and baking powder together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the soda water and whisk to just combine.
Step 3
Fill a wok with 5cm of vegetable oil and place over high heat. Pat the tofu slices dry with paper towels, dust in extra flour and dip into the batter. Let the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Lower the tofu slices into the oil and cook for 4 minutes, or until crisp and golden. You may need to fry them in two batches. Remove from the oil and set aside on a plate covered with paper towel.
Step 4
Cut the brioche buns in half and lightly toast. Spoon some slaw onto the base of each bun. Top with tofu and drizzle with mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce. Sprinkle with nori and sesame seeds, add the bun lids and serve.