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Tofu Walnut Cutlets

This is a recipe I found years ago - I can't remember where - maybe on the back of a tofu packet. At it's simplest, it's just finely chopped raw onion and walnuts mashed into tofu and fried as cutlets. It's very tasty like that, so if you haven't the time or inclination to try my version, go for it. I think, however, that the recipe below is an improvement on the original and it's not difficult.

These cutlets are high in protein and extremely low in fat (they don't absorb much oil in frying either). Unlike other pulses, soy beans contain the full range of amino acids needed by the body to synthesize proteins and the addition of oats, nuts and seeds makes very nutritious cutlets indeed.

They can be frozen before frying, by the way. Lay them on baking paper on a tray and put into the freezer. Don't lay them too close side by side or they'll stick together, but you can layer them with sheets of paper in between. The first time I did this I used what I thought was baking paper (because I found it in a cupboard in the kitchen) but it turned out to be tracing paper that Svetlana had brought home from school - it worked fine. Once they have frozen, put the cutlets into plastic bags, tie the bags closed and leave in the freezer until required. They keep for 4 or 5 weeks.

Ingredients

1 kg tofu
200g shelled walnuts
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 mug of porridge oats
1 dessert spoon of soy sauce
3 teaspoons mixed seeds e.g. Poppy seed, sesame, coriander, mustard
1 teaspoon of salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic (keep them separate) Chop the walnuts finely too (this is not very difficult to do)

Heat a very little vegetable oil in a frying pan until it is really hot. Watch for it beginning to smoke - that's it ready. Take the pan off the heat and throw in the seeds. They should start to pop. Add the onions immediately and stir - the pan will still be very hot so stir the onions around for a few minutes while it cools a little - you don't want to burn the seeds. Return the pan to the flame (turn the heat down a bit) and continue stirring. Add the walnuts, oats and garlic once the onions are transparent, and continue stirring for about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pan stand while you prepare the tofu.

This is easy. Rinse the tofu in cold water, put it in a pot or large bowl (something with a flat bottom is best) and mash it with a potato masher or something similar. Add the salt, soy sauce (and some red or black pepper if you like) and the contents of the frying pan. Mash it all together well.

Make burger or sausage shapes with the mix (but don't call them 'vegge burgers' or 'veggie sausages') and fry until golden brown (about 4 minutes either side).

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