We had these tofu patties for lunch two days in a row: first day served with cous cous and some leftover gravy, and the next day with olive mashed potatoes and basil yogurt sauce. We thought the patties tasted even better the next day, and thus would be perfect to have in the freezer for lazy nights. Unfortunately we only have a tiny freezing compartment in the fridge and can’t store up much food.

Here’s what I used:

• 500 g firm tofu
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 6 sun dried tomatoes in oil (about 1 dl)
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 teaspoon sage and marjoram
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons barley (or other) starch

For breading:

• breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, salt, and red paprika powder

First, I preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Then, I minced the onions, carrots, and garlic very finely, and fried them in a little oil, on medium heat, while I prepared everything else.

I mashed the tofu in a bowl with my hands until it was really crumbly. There’s no need to drain or press the tofu, since the moisture in it is essential to the texture of the dough. Then I minced the sun dried tomatoes very finely, almost to a paste, added them to the tofu mixture with all of the spices, and kept on mashing the mixture with my hands until everything was incorporated.

Now, the onions and carrots had softened a little, so I added them to the tofu mixture, and sprinkled the barley starch in the bowl as well. I kept on mixing until a firm dough appeared, and let it sit for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, I prepared a baking sheet by lining it with baking parchment and brushing it with some canola oil. I mixed the breading ingredients on a plate; one part sesame seeds and two parts bread crumbs, a pinch of salt, and some red paprika powder for color. I didn’t measure, but I think that approximately 1 dl of bread crumbs and 1/2 dl of sesame seeds are needed to bread about 10 patties.

I also invented a great way to form patties; I first took enough dough for one patty and formed it into a ball with my hands. Then I rolled the ball in the breading mixture until it was completely covered with sesame seeds and bread crumbs, and then flattened the ball with the palms of my hands. This is considerably easier than breading the already flattened patties, and there’s no risk of them falling apart.

Now, I placed the patties on the oiled baking parchment, brushed them with a little canola oil, and baked them for 30 minutes, until they were nicely browned.