Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes

What I like most about Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes is that it carries the aroma of the sea. There is only a small amount of aonori (dried seaweed flakes) added to the patty mixture, but the aroma of the seaweed carries through and doesn’t fade after the patties are cooked.

These patties are basically a type of Tsukune. By combining tofu with chicken breast mince, the patties become softer than those made with chicken breast mince alone.

Mayonnaise Magic

Adding mayonnaise to the patty mixture also makes the patties softer and more tender. This is due to the vinegar, the oil, and the emulsification of these ingredients (involving egg yolks and other ingredients).

• The effect of vinegar: The vinegar in mayonnaise acts on the proteins in the meat, helping to prevent the muscle fibres from becoming tough during cooking.
• Coating effect of vegetable oil: The oil coats the meat, helping to prevent moisture and umami from escaping during cooking. This keeps the patties juicy.
• Even distribution through emulsification: Mayonnaise is an emulsion in which oil and water are finely dispersed and held together by ingredients such as egg yolks. This allows the oil and moisture to spread evenly throughout the meat mixture without separating, resulting in a soft, light and fluffy texture.

Although this is not a traditional method, if you add mayonnaise to tempura batter or Karaage marinade, you will get crispy tempura and karaage. This is because mayonnaise helps the moisture in the batter evaporate efficiently, and also slows down the development of gluten in the flour.

What’s in My Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes

• Breast chicken mince
• Silken tofu
• Salt
• Cooking sake
• Kewpie mayonnaise
• Corn flour/cornstarch
• Aonori (dried seaweed flakes)
• Oil.

To make soft patties, I used silken tofu, even if it contains a lot of water and needs to be drained before use.

How to Make Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes

The first step is to remove the water from the silken tofu, reducing the weight by about a third.

1. Remove excess water from the tofu by wrapping it in a couple of layers of kitchen paper, then place it under a tray with a weight on top. Leave it for 30-60minutes.

Making Paties is quite simple and takes only 15 minutes in total.

1. Put all ingredients except the oil in a bowl and mix well.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
3. Using a small cookie scoop, take a generous scoopful of the mixture and drop it into the frying pan. Press down on the top of the mixture with the back of the scoop to flatten it.
4. When all the patties are in the frying pan, place a lid on and cook for about 4 minutes, until the bottoms of the patties turn golden brown.
5. Remove the lid and turn the patties over. Cook for 3 minutes without the lid.

The patty mixture is quite soft and difficult to shape, so I used a 3.5cm/1⅜” cookie scoop with a trigger to drop small portions of the mixture into the frying pan. It not only makes shaping the patty easier but it also helps keep the size of each patty consistent. You could also use two spoons. It makes 12-14 patties, depending on their size.

Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes is an easy recipe. Patties can be served as a main dish with several patties piled on a plate (the first photo at the top of the page), or as nibbles (as above), like chicken nuggets.

It keeps 3-4 days in the fridge.

Yumiko

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Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Dehydrating tofu

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

This is an easy recipe. The aroma of dried seaweed flakes reminds you of the sea. The patties can be served as a main dish with several patties piled on a plate, or as nibbles, like chicken nuggets.

Serves: 12 - 14 Patties

Author: Yumiko

Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

• 250g/8.8oz chicken breast mince
• 100g/3.5oz silken tofu
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cooking sake
• 1 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp corn flour/cornstarch
• 2 tsp aonori
• 1 tbsp oil

Serving

• Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes

Instructions

Dehydrate Tofu

1. Wrap the tofu in a couple of layers of paper towel, then place it on a cutting board.

2. Place a small tray on the tofu, with a couple of cans or cartons on the tray to weigh it down.

3. Leave it for 30-60 minutes until the weight of the tofu is reduced to 65-70g/2.3-2.5oz (note 1).

Make Patties

1. Put the salt, cooking sake, mayonnaise, and corn flour/cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Add the chicken mince and tofu to the bowl and mix well until the tofu is broken into small pieces and evenly mixed with the mince.

3. Add aonori to the bowl and mix well.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

5. Using a small cookie scoop (note 2), take a generous scoopful of the mixture and drop it into the frying pan. Flatten the mixture with the back of the scoop, pressing down slightly to form a small round patty.

6. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

7. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 4 minutes. The bottom of the patties should be golden brown.

8. Remove the lid and flip all the patties over. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for another 3 minutes or so, without the lid, until the bottoms of the patties turn golden brown.

9. Transfer the patties to a serving plate and arrange the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on the side.

Recipe Notes

1. You can also gently press down on the tray to squeeze the water out of the tofu and speed up the draining process.

2. I used a 3.5cm/1⅜” cookie scoop with a trigger. You can also use a tablespoon to scoop up the mixture and another spoon to get the mixture out.

3. Chicken and Tofu Patties with Seaweed Flakes keep 3-4 days in the fridge.