TofuBaked Wanpaku

Serving Size 4

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Inspired by: The Kitchn & Just One Cookbook

  • 2 packages Nasoya Sesame Ginger Tofubaked, sliced into thick patties 
  • 1/4 medium red cabbage 
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 to 4 cups vegetable oil
  • 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices sandwich bread
  • 1/4 cup vegan Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup egg free mayo 
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, julienned 
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Lettuce
  • 1 cucumber, shaved thinly

Preparation

  1. Unpackage tofubaked, pat dry.
  2. Place 2 large eggs in a wide, shallow bowl and whisk until combined. Place 1 cup all-purpose flour in a second wide, shallow bowl. Place 1 cup panko bread crumbs in a third wide, shallow bowl.
  3. Bread the tofu patties one at a time: Dip into the flour until completely coated, then shake off the excess flour. Dip into the eggs until completely coated. Dip into the panko until completely coated, then place on a baking sheet.
  4. Add enough vegetable oil to a Dutch oven or 10-inch high-sided skillet to come 1-inch up the sides (2 to 4 cups). Heat over medium-high heat until 350ºF. Meanwhile, fit a wire rack over a second baking sheet
  5. Fry the tofu patties one at a time: Gently place in the pan and fry until golden-brown all over and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to the rack and lightly season with kosher salt.
  6. For each sandwich, prepare a large sheet of plastic wrap. One sheet for each sandwich should be the width of about 4 slices of shokupan bread. Now, make a mental note that you will be slicing the sandwich WIDTHWISE (slice in the same direction as the scissor indicates).
  7. On 2 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread), spread the mayo & mustard mixture on the bottom slice and the top slice.
  8. Place the bottom shokupan slice in the center of the plastic wrap. Start with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. You can start with any ingredients you like. Flat ingredients should be at the bottom and flexible ingredients should be higher on the top.
  9. Put the top slice on with the mayo & mustard side facing down. Gently press down the bread with one hand and lift one side of plastic wrap to wrap around tightly. Gently and slowly pull down the plastic wrap as you go over the sandwich. This helps to tighten the sandwich and prevent the ingredients from falling off.
  10. When the plastic wrap reaches to the other side of the sandwich, pull the other side of the plastic wrap, going over the sandwich and wrap around the sandwich so the seam line will be on the bottom of the sandwich. Now close the opening area by tightly wrapping around.
  11. Do the same for the other opening areas. Set aside for 5–10 minutes.
  12. Using a clean and sharp knife (I use a bread knife), cut the sandwich in half along the “cut” line.
  13. Trim the sandwiches into squares (snack on the trimmings), wiping the knife between each cut to get the cleanest cuts. Cut each sandwich in half to form two rectangles.

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