Tag Archives: mushroom
Tofu Mushroom Burger Time Machine
One of the things I really miss about living in south OC was going to Taco Loco (Laguna Beach, CA) in the summer. Those were some of the greatest times in my life, sitting on the patio, eating, drinking beers and just hanging out in the sun all day with my good friends (and a lot of the time by myself). Even though those days have passed once in a while I’ll make some tofu mushroom burgers for dinner and the first bite will always bring me back to that time.
If you’ve never eaten one of these before I suggest you go to Taco Loco to try one, if not you can come over here and I’d be glad to make em for you (just bring the beers). Even though my recipe will never be as great they’re still damn good…
“Savory clean ocean water…”
If you’ve ever been to a sushi restaurant with me you’d know I love sea urchin (“uni” in Japanese). The part of the sea urchin that you actually eat is the ovaries, called corals or roe, and it’s a culinary delicacy in many parts of the world. It’s hard to describe the taste but to me it’s like savory clean ocean water if that makes sense. Some people describe the taste as “umami” which is the fifth taste sensation school didn’t teach you about (the other four are sweet, salty, sour, and bitter).
Usually I eat the uni Japanese style as sashimi or regular sushi but yesterday I stopped by the Halal Market and picked up some amazing olive oil and instantly remembered this episode of No Reservations where Anthony was in Greece and had some sea urchin. Here’s the clip…
(skip to about 1:40 to see what I’m talking about)
Here’s the olive oil I got from the market
And here’s that amazing sea urchin in olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cilantro and a little sea salt.
Eaten on toasted flat bread. Fucking amazing!
Dinner last night at Avocado was like a multi cultural club. Mushroom enchiladas and mango salsa from Mexico, beer from Japan, soju from Korea and sea urchin in olive oil from Heaven…
Filed under food
Tofu Mushroom Burgers
I first ate one of these at Taco Loco in Laguna Beach and let me tell you it’s probably one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. I think Lawrence was the one that put me up on these and there’s nothing I can ever do to repay him. Even though this is one of my favorite “go to” dishes to make for dinner, I still can’t make it exactly like TL does but it’s pretty damn close. Another good thing about this little bundle of deliciousness is it’s easy to make and it’s super healthy.
1. Slice and season your tofu like you would do a normal piece of meat and throw it on the grill. Only takes a couple minutes each side til nice and crisp.
2. Clean and slice the mushrooms (season with sea salt and pepper) and throw em in a pan with olive oil. Only takes about 5 minute on medium high heat.
3. Dice up some avocado, tomato, chopped cilantro, garlic and jalapeno peppers. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Toast whatever type of bread you please and spread with some mayo, ketchup and mustard. Done
* Just because I blog about what I cook up doesn’t make me think I’m a great chef or make me think my culinary skills are superior to yours. I try and make these recipes as basic as possible to give you an idea on how easy it is to make great food. Obviously you should keep it creative and add your own flare to em but always remember, why go out and eat when you can make it yourself.
