Crisp Tofu Katsu With Lemon-Tahini Sauce

By Kay Chun

Crisp Tofu Katsu With Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Linda Xiao for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,412)
Comments
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Katsu, the Japanese-style fried cutlet dish, is made just a bit healthier in this version prepared with tofu slabs. Here, the slabs are dredged in seasoned bread crumbs, baked, not deep-fried, and paired with quinoa, making it full, protein-dense meal. Note, too, that the leftover katsu here reheats nicely: Simply put it in your oven at 400 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Tofu Katsu

    • 5tablespoons safflower or canola oil, plus more for greasing
    • ⅓cup cornstarch, plus more as needed
    • 2large eggs, beaten
    • 1½cups panko bread crumbs
    • 2¼teaspoons granulated onion
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • 1pound firm tofu, cut about ¼-inch thick, into 12 equal slices
    • 12ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ½-inch thick (4 packed cups)

    For the Quinoa

    • ¾cup red quinoa, rinsed well and drained
    • ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
    • ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
    • ¼cup lemon juice
    • 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 2teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
    • ¾teaspoon grated garlic (about 1 large clove)
    • 8ounces cauliflower florets, thinly sliced (2 heaping cups)
    • ½cup chopped parsley
    • Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

965 calories; 66 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 33 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 981 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the katsu: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 large rimmed baking sheets with the oil. Put cornstarch, eggs and bread crumbs in three separate shallow bowls, and add ¾ teaspoon of the granulated onion to each bowl. Season all with salt and pepper and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons oil to the bread crumbs and mix well.

  2. Step 2

    Working with one piece at a time, dust tofu in cornstarch, then dredge in egg, shaking off excess. Press in bread crumbs to evenly coat. Arrange on one baking sheet, and transfer to oven. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Place mushrooms on second baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until golden, 12 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Make the quinoa: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until the quinoa is tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, then return quinoa to the pan. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes; fluff into a large bowl.

  5. Step 5

    In a small bowl, combine tahini, oil, lemon juice, mustard, soy sauce, garlic and ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6

    To the quinoa, add mushrooms, cauliflower, parsley and 1 cup of the dressing and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Step 7

    Divide quinoa in bowls and top with tofu. Serve with remaining sauce for drizzling on tofu and lemon wedges, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,412 user ratings
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Comments

Leah Macpherson

So the cauliflower goes into the dish raw?

Christina

▫️Roast the cauliflower until golden and crisped on the edges. ▫️Fry the pads of tofu after breading until golden and crunchy ▫️sauté mushrooms until golden and fragrant ▫️1/2 water for sauce is plenty ▫️little extra lemon and tahini, watch- garlic is potent

Tim

Certainly the nutrition information is not correct? 66 grams fat?

Erin

This is a good method for tofu katsu, and it’s quick. I seasoned the tofu with s&p and garlic powder before all of the dipping steps and added some soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil to the eggs, because I had a feeling it would need something extra. I made the tonkatsu sauce from the nytimes chicken katsu recipe.

Eb

We weren't big fans of the sauce...I was hoping for more of a sweet sesame dressing taste and it is definitely lemon forward, kind of bitter and tangy. But the texture of the crispy tofu was amazing, will be adapting to abetter sauce. Also I roasted the cauli really quick after a toss in olive oil and garlic salt.

Tess

Made this with a few tweaks (roasted the cauliflower, pan-fried the tofu so it didn’t dry out, and served the sauce and tahini separately) and it was delicious! And for everybody worried about the calories or fat: leave out the tahini.

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