Thank you House Foods for sponsoring this post! Having used their soy products for a while now, I’m excited to bring this recipe to all of you!
Someone once asked me why sliders are called “sliders.” Of course, I had no clue. The best thing to do during these situations is to make up something and be very confident in your delivery. Well, I’m not sure if it’s the best thing to do, but that’s what I did.
“Oh, I think they’re called sliders because the cooks used to just slide it across the counter to the customer when the dish was ready.”
My friend detected my nonsense in a heartbeat.
Legend has it that the word “sliders” was coined by the U.S. Navy to describe how easily those small greasy burgers slid right off the griddle. Wherever that word came from, we’re going to take the concept of a slider and turn it right on its head. Starting with tofu.
It’s National Soyfoods Month, so we’re going to make tofu the highlight of our sliders instead of the traditional greasy mini beef patty. I know some of you are thinking it’s blasphemous for me to sub the beef for tofu, but believe me, these the crispy tofu we’re about to make is so delicious, you’ll forget about the beef. Plus, let’s ditch the cholesterol and lower that saturated fat for a day.
First, you’re going to want to use some firm or extra firm tofu. Drain the water and wrap the entire block of tofu with paper towels. We just want to get rid of the excess water before we pan fry the tofu. Then, slice the tofu to about 1/3-inch thick, and we’re ready to go!
Crispy Tofu Pita Sliders with Miso Aioli
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu Strips
- 1 14-ounce package of House Foods firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- sesame seeds for topping, optional
Quick Pickled Vegetables
- 2 ounces shredded cabbage, I used a mix of red and green cabbage
- 1 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded carrots
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- pinch of salt
Miso Aioli
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 mini pitas
Instructions
- Drain the water from the package of tofu, and wrap the tofu in paper towels. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prep the vegetables. Mix the vegetables together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, thai chilis, and sesame oil together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the vegetables and stir until combined.
- Mix all the miso aioli ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Slice the tofu into 1/4-inch slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large saute pan. When the pan is hot, add half of the tofu slices in the pan and let it fry for about 5 to 6 minutes before flipping it over. Make sure that the tofu is golden brown before flipping. Fry the other side for another 5 minutes. Pour the pan-fried tofu strips on a plate. Heat another tablespoon of sesame oil, and finish pan-frying the rest of the tofu.
- While the tofu strips are cooking, mix the maple syrup and soy sauce together.
- When the second batch of tofu strips is done, add the rest back to the pan. Pour in the maple syrup mixture, and mix everything for a minute or two. Turn off the heat.
- Split open the mini pitas. Top one half with 2 tofu strips, pickled vegetables, and miso aioli. Top with the other half of the pita. Serve immediately.
Notes
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I absolutely LOVE House Foods too – they’re products are all so tasty!
I totally would have never thought to slider-ize this tofu, and I am TOTALLY obsessing over these! Pinned!
Lisa says
Thanks, girl!
Crissy says
I love the addition of miso to the aioli! These look wonderful, can’t wait to try them!
Lisa says
Thanks, Crissy!
Steph @ The Grateful Grazer says
Yum these look delicious! I’ve been a little obsessed with pickled veggies lately! 🙂
Lisa says
Yes, I’ve added those pickled vegetables to everything! Thanks, Steph!
Sonali- The Foodie Physician says
These look so tasty and amazing. and that aioli…yum! You’ve really outdone yourself with these photos- STUNNING!
Lisa says
Sonali, you’re too sweet. Thanks!! Have a great weekend!
Julia says
Gaaaaaah these are so cute! So much flavor packed in such a little bite – I love it! I just started pickling vegetables so these sliders are the perfect use for my pickle veg. Thanks for the slider history lesson and the inspiration!
Lisa says
Do you have a good recipe for pickling vegetables? I want to play with a few more recipes!
Linda @ Veganosity says
I love sliders! These look delicious Lisa. If I hadn’t just used up my tofu for a lime pie filling I would make these for dinner.
Lisa says
Lime pie filling sounds delicious! I totally forgive you 😉
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
These sliders look amazing! So much flavor going on in all the components of the recipe. Love it!
Lisa says
Thanks Jessica!
Zainab says
My my!! These are amazing!!!
Lisa says
Thanks, Zainab!!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
These are so cute! They look perfect for a party or picnic!
Lisa says
Thanks, Kelly!
Eileen says
These sound excellent! I don’t know why I don’t eat tofu in sandwich form more often, especially with ALL THE PICKLES. Ahem. I like pickles. 🙂 In conclusion, yay!
Lisa says
Haha, thanks, Eileen!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
What an incredible looking recipe! Sounds amazing, I’m such a fan of tofu. I cannot wait to try these!
Lisa says
Yes, I know you and your tofu! Thanks, Alex!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I actually suck at cooking tofu – mine always turns out bland and never as crispy as this looks. I definitely need to try out the recipe – and that miso aioli too!
Lisa says
Thanks, Thalia!!
Izzy @ She likes food says
These are the cutest little sliders ever!! And I love your explanation about why sliders and called sliders, haha! That is a good question though! Everything about these sound so good and I especially love the miso aoili and pickled vegetables on top!
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Izzy! Wish I could actually fool my friend with that comment though 😉
Joanne says
You know i would take crispy tofu over beef any day! These look SO good. Especially that aioli. swooning.
Lisa says
Haha, yup! I got you covered. Thanks, lady, and hope you had a great weekend!!
Tina says
Every component first class. Used honey rather than maple syrup with no issues.
A smear of tahini or hummus, or both also fabulous