Tofu Katsu Noodle Bowl
An amazing crunchy Katsu that is vegan and easy to make with a simple batter and coat with panko breadcrumbs. Serve it with delicious noodles and garlicky veggies for the perfect meal.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Keyword: comfortfood, dairy-free, noodles, vegan
Servings: 3
Author: woonheng
- 3 servings noodles of your choice cooked based on package's instructions
- 14 oz [397g] firm tofu pressed to remove liquid
- 3 servings blanched veggies used bok choy
- oil for frying
For the Batter
- ¾ cup [96g] all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
- ½ cup [125g] cold water may need up to ¾ cup [177g] water depeding on the flour's brand
- ½ teaspoon salt
- a few shakes of white pepper
- ½ cup [45g] panko breadcrumbs or more may be needed
Noodle Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari
- 2 tablespoons vegan 'oyster' sauce (see notes for recipe)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce thick version
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- a few shakes of white pepper
Prepare the tofu
Remove tofu from its packaging (if it's in package) and drain to discard liquid.
Press tofu block in between towels to remove moisture. (Or you can put the tofu back into its package and refrigerate overnight to drain out the liquid)
Divide tofu into 3 large rectangle block and season with a little salt.
To make the Katsu
For the batter: whisk together all-purpose flour, salt, and white pepper until all incorporated in a large shallow plate.
Add the water and stir to combine. The batter's consistency should be thick like a pancake batter, if not, add more flour or vice versa.
Dredge tofu in the batter, shake off excess, then coat with panko breadcrumbs. Lightly press breadcrumbs into the tofu.
Heat up a non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil (enough to cover 1/3 of the tofu height). Then slowly place tofu in and shallow pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
Try not to flip until one side is fully cooked. Remove and place tofu on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
To make the Noodles and Serve
To make the sauce, place all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Cook noodles based on package's instructions.
Toss noodles with sauce until all incorporated. Season accordingly, if needed.
Serve tofu Katsu with noodles and blanched veggies.
- For the noodles, I used my Vegan 'Oyster' sauce for this recipe.
- To get the look of the tofu in the picture, I trimmed the sides of the tofu block.
- How to blanch veggies:
-
- Clean and trim veggies to your desired size.
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil.
- Then, place veggies in. Using a pair of tongs, quickly cook veggies until they turn a darker green.
- Optional: rinse with cold water to stop the cooking
- Garlic Oil - place finely chop garlic in a microwave-safe bowl. Add enough oil to cover all the garlic. Microwave for 1 - 2 minutes. Once the garlic turns light yellowish, stop the cooking. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil.