Do you like tofu, but you feel like it needs more beer? So did I! Try out my tofu cheese and beer burger. With that crunch and all that ooey-gooey cheese, what is not to love?
Last week, we talked about pressing tofu.
Did you try it out? It makes for great fried tofu, right? If you didn’t try out pressing tofu or didn’t get to read last week’s post, click here.
If you were adventurous and tried marinating your tofu, you probably noticed the difference in flavor and texture quality. And your marinade was probably great, no doubt! But today, I’m going to tell you about my marinade secret that sounds a little weird, but is totally delicious.
Enter the tofu cheese and beer burger
Yes, you heard me right.
Tofu is such a sponge when it comes to flavors; I wanted to take advantage of this to the fullest! If you like beer or like cooking with beer, this one is for you.
We’re going to cut that piece of tofu into rounds, soak it, dredge it and fry it. And trust me, it is really tasty!
Oh, and don’t let anything about this recipe daunt you. The prep time that you see in the recipe is mostly waiting and allowing time to do its thing. The rest of the prep is dredging! Which, if you don’t know, is how fried foods generally get their crispy outside layer. A dip in flour, a dip in eggs, and then a dip in some breadcrumbs. Seriously. It’s easier than I might make it out to be. And if you have questions, leave them in the comments below! I’d be more than happy to help. 🙂
But even still, it’s beer and tofu. It’s missing… something. What would be better for this better than to add cheese, amirite?
Yea, it kinda needs to be a cheeseburger.
Cheddar cheese and beer just go together. Like beans and rice, or chocolate and bacon. The beer is a light flavor, while the cheese is a much stronger flavor that gives the patty an extra punch of salt.
I would recommend a sharp cheddar, but I’m guessing just about any sort of salty cheese should work. Cheddar, provolone, American…
Oh, cheese, how I love thee… Anyway. back on schedule!
Who should and should not be eating the tofu cheese and beer burger?
If you are allergic to soy, I’m sorry. This one isn’t for you. Though you probably knew that after seeing tofu in the title! Also, this isn’t for people allergic to eggs. They are a part of the dredging process.
Also, I don’t really have a way of seeing how much alcohol has been cooked out of the burger. The amount of beer soaked up by the tofu, however, is not going to get you drunk! This is going to be like splitting a half of a beer 4 ways.
So though the alcohol content is super low, I wouldn’t recommend it to young children or those avoiding alcohol.
To my lactose-intolerant people:
Use the right cheese. That’s all I have to say to you. I used a sharp cheddar of decent quality for mine. According to the Internets, since lactose is the sugar found in milk, you want your cheese to have less than 5g of sugar per serving. The closer the grams of sugar are to zero, the less lactose is going to be in said block of cheese. Click here to see what I am talking about.
And to my dearest gluten-free people:
there are some basics you probably already know. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Use rice (or preferred) flour instead of wheat flour.
But you may or may not know about the innovations in beer technology. There are breweries making a way for people with a gluten allergy to be able to drink beer. Yes, I am talking about the beer with the gluten taken out of it! Since barley is one of the carriers of gluten (along with wheat and rye), beer is usually not gluten free. But somehow, these breweries are able to remove it. Science, kids.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I am bound to at some point. Have you had a gluten-free beer before? Was it any good? Let me know in the comments down below!
Cheers dears!
Gem
The Tofu Cheese and Beer Burger
It’s a tofu burger that tastes like beer. What is there not to love?
Yields: 4 patties
- 1 block firm tofu
- 6 oz. preferred beer (no fruity or sweet beers)
- 5/8 tsp. onion powder, divided
- 5/8 tsp. garlic powder, divided
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- Salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 2 Tbsp. Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. canola oil
- As much cheese as your heart desires
Prep your tofu. Remove from packaging and [press your tofu] (https://www.fooddrinkslife.com/press-tofu/) for an hour.
When tofu is ready, cut the tofu into a column about 3 1/4" in diameter. Use ends and pieces at a different time.
Cut the column into 3 to 4 rounds, approximately 1 cm in height.
In a round 16-20 oz. container, place 1/8 tsp. of onion powder, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Lay in the first round and cover with beer.
repeat the above step until all rounds have onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and beer between them. They do a pretty good job of separating themselves! Place in the refrigerator and soak for 2-4 hours. 2 hours does the job but if you have a little bit of extra time, leave them in the beer.
Once the rounds are soaked, get your dredging bowls ready. The first bowl will have flour. the second bowl will have the eggs. The third bowl will have the breadcrumbs, Romano, pepper, paprika and parsley. Mix the third bowl thoroughly.
Pull the beer-soaked tofu rounds out of the beer solution and pat them down to remove exterior liquids. Cover completely in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mix. Complete with all 4 rounds.
Place a pan on medium-low heat. Add oil. Once heated, place patties in for 3-4 min on each side, or when sides are brown and crispy. When the patty is almost ready, place cheese on top and allow to melt. serve immediately.
- Preparation time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
