Tofu Hamburg Steak with Mushroom Sauce

Name: Tofu Hamburg Steak with Mushroom Sauce
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Firm tofu 1 block (about 300 g); Koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu) 2 pieces; Onion 1/4; Shimeji mushrooms 1 pack (about 100 g); Paper towels 2 sheets; Potato starch (katakuriko) 1 tbsp + 1 tsp; Salt 1/4 tsp; Pepper A pinch; Vegetable oil 1 tsp; Soy sauce 1 tbsp; Mirin 1 tbsp; Water 100 ml

🌱 VeganNo meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey or bonito dashi 🥗 Lighter 💪 If you exercise

Serves 2 · About 35 min
Hamburg steaks made from firm tofu and grated koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu). No meat, eggs, milk or breadcrumbs. The koya-dofu holds it together and adds protein. Served with a shimeji mushroom sauce.

① Drain the tofu→② Cut the onion and shimeji, and grate the koya-dofu→③ Mix and shape the patties→④ Brown both sides, then steam→⑤ Make the mushroom sauce and pour it over

What to buy

Tofu

Firm tofu1 block (about 300 g)

Dried goods

Koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu)Square pieces, about 16 g each. If it comes with a seasoning packet, don’t use the packet2 pieces

Vegetables

Onion1/4Shimeji mushrooms1 pack (about 100 g)

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🥗 What makes this diet dish work

Hamburg steaks easily get high in calories from the fat in ground meat. This one is made with tofu instead of meat, and it’s still satisfying.

The numbers: about 282 kcal and 21 g protein per person. Compared with this site’s Hamburg Steak (Demi-Glace Style Sauce, about 557 kcal per person), it’s about half the calories
Koya tofu instead of breadcrumbs: grated koya tofu (freeze-dried tofu) holds the mixture together. It soaks up water from the tofu so the patties don’t fall apart, and it adds protein
Drain the tofu first: draining the tofu for 10 minutes keeps the patties from breaking when you cook them, and keeps the flavor from getting weak
Just 1 tsp of oil: after browning, cover and steam over low heat. They cook through with very little oil
Mushroom sauce for flavor: the savory shimeji and a thick soy sauce and mirin sauce go on top. It tastes full even without a rich sauce
Also vegan: no meat, eggs, milk or breadcrumbs, so it’s on the vegan page too

How to make it

Drain the tofu

Let sit 10 min

Take the tofu out of the pack and wrap it in paper towels
Put it on a plate, set another flat plate on top, and leave it for 10 minutes (the weight presses out the water)

How to tell it's doneWater has collected on the plate and the paper towels are damp.

Cut the onion and shimeji, and grate the koya-dofu

About 5 min

On the cutting board, finely chop the onion (about 5 mm pieces)
Cut off the hard base of the shimeji and pull them apart one by one with your hands
Grate the koya-dofu dry, straight from the pack, on a grater

How to tell it's doneThe koya-dofu is a fine powder like breadcrumbs.

Be carefulWhen the koya-dofu gets small, stop grating so you don’t scrape your fingers. Crumble the rest finely by hand.

Mix and shape the patties

About 5 min

Put the drained tofu in a bowl and mash it with your hand until smooth
Add the grated koya-dofu, onion, 1 tbsp potato starch, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper, and mix well
Divide into 4 and shape into rounds about 1.5 cm thick

How to tell it's doneA patty holds its shape when you hold it on your palm.

Brown both sides, then steam

Medium → low, lid on6 min browning + 3 min steaming

Put 1 tsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and heat over medium
Lay in the patties and cook 3 minutes without touching. Turn gently with a turner and cook 3 minutes more
Cover with the lid, cook 3 minutes on low, then move them to plates

How to tell it's doneBoth sides are nicely browned.

Be carefulThey are soft, so don’t move them until browned. To turn, slide the turner all the way under first.

Make the mushroom sauce and pour it over

Medium heatAbout 3 min

In a small bowl, mix 100 ml water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp potato starch (the sauce)
Put the shimeji in the same pan and stir-fry over medium for 1 minute
Stir the sauce again, pour it in, and keep stirring as it cooks
When it thickens, pour it over the patties

ReadyThe sauce has thickened and the shimeji are soft.

Be carefulThe starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl, so stir well right before you pour.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Katakuriko (potato starch)Mirin Shoyu (soy sauce)Tofu

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitotsumami & shoushou (a pinch)Mijin-giri (finely chopping)

If it didn't work out

The mixture is too soft to shapeThe tofu wasn’t drained enough in step 1. Next time, leave it 5 minutes longer. For now, add potato starch 1 tsp at a time and mix.

They fell apart while cookingThey were moved too soon in step 4. Next time, don’t touch them for 3 minutes until browned.

The sauce didn’t thickenThe starch had sunk to the bottom in step 5. Next time, stir right before pouring. For now, add 1/2 tsp potato starch mixed with 1 tsp water and cook again while stirring.

It tastes blandPour on more sauce. Next time, add a pinch more salt to the mixture.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me