Vegan Schnitzel Cutlet

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

450 g extra firm tofu (pressed)

1/4 cup soy sauce

400 g canned chickpeas (reserve aquafaba)

1/4 cup cornstarch

sunflower oil (for shallow frying)

100 g panko crumbs

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp thyme

Directions

If you have time, press the tofu for 10-20 minutes. To do this, place the tofu on paper towel or a clean, non-fluffy tea towel and weigh it down with a chopping board and some heavy objects (a heavy cast iron dish or cook books work nicely).

Slice the tofu into 4 large pieces. Place them in a tray with soy sauce to marinate while you prep the crumb. Flip them over after a few minutes so they absorb evenly.

Combine all crumb ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Transfer onto a dinner plate.

Drain chickpeas and reserve the aquafaba. The chickpeas themselves are not needed for this recipe, so pop those into an airtight container in the fridge and keep for another recipe (suggestions in notes). Carefully pour the aquafaba onto a dinner plate.

Place the cornstarch onto a dinner plate. You will now have 3 dinner plates - 1 aquafaba, 1 crumb mix and 1 cornstarch.

Coat each schnitzel in a thin layer of cornstarch on both sides, then dip into aquafaba to form a gelatinous egg-white like layer. Next, coat the schnitzel in the crumb mixture on both sides. Sprinkle extra crumb mix over the top and and press down to get it to stick well onto the tofu. Give it a light shake so any excess crumb falls off, then transfer to another plate. *Note you can freeze the schnitzels at this point if you would like to keep them for another day.

Add a generous lug of oil to a large shallow frying pan over medium-high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough for frying, add a breadcrumb to the pan and if it sizzles immediately, it's ready! Fry the schnitzels until golden brown on both sides - it takes about 2 minutes each side.

Transfer schnitzels onto a plate lined with paper towel to remove any excess oil and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Serve with a leafy green salad, a wedge of lemon and mayonnaise or aioli.

Nutrition

• Calories: 300 kcal
• Total Fat: 6 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
• Sodium: 1343 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 43 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 20 g