This marinated gochujang tofu sandwich is the new sandwich of the summer. It’s made with sauteed onion and mushrooms, quick pickled radishes, tomato and arugula. The tofu is marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, garlic and gochujang, then pan fried for a few minutes on each side. For the sandwich, I’ve added hummus and vegan mayo, but the sauces are totally customizable. And finally, it wouldn’t be a summer sandwich without some fresh tomatoes and arugula. Get the recipe below, and enjoy!
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 350-400g firm tofu
- 2 heaping tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp olive oil (plus more for frying)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave
- 1 tsp paprika
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 onion
- Handful of cremini mushrooms
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Handful of fresh arugula
- Hummus & vegan mayo, to serve
- Fresh bread
Pickled Radishes
- 4-5 radishes
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- 2-3 tbsp hot water
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Non-stick frying pan
Instructions
- Slice tofu into about 6-8 strips (3-4 per sandwich), each 1/2 inch thick. To a bowl, mix together gochujang, olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup or agave, paprika and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Add in the tofu slices, then mix to cover them in sauce and set aside to marinate while you prep the rest of the veggies.
- Thinly slice the onion and mushrooms, and peel and mince the remaining 2-3 garlic cloves. To a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add a bit of olive oil and the onions, mushrooms, and garlic, sautéing until softened and slightly golden brown (stir occasionally).
- Optionally, you can make quick pickled radishes with thinly sliced radishes, a bit of rice vinegar and warm water and a pinch of salt.
- Once the onions and mushrooms are done, set them aside in a bowl. If needed, add a bit more oil before adding the marinated tofu to the pan. Pour in the remainder of the sauce, and let the tofu fry for about 5 minutes, flipping and frying the other side again for 5 minutes.
- Toast your bread, then prep the sandwich with hummus and/or vegan mayo, the fried tofu, sauteed onions and mushrooms, pickled radishes, tomato slices and arugula.
Notes
*Totally optional, but I sometimes like freezing and thawing my tofu (the freeze-thaw process helps create more room for it to absorb flavours like a sponge!).
*If you have the time, you could always start marinating the tofu earlier in the day, leaving it in the fridge for a few hours before frying.
