One of my favorite places to go eat in NYC is Superiority Burger, with such unique, fresh, and creative variations of fast food, all vegetarian. Their Superiority Veggie Burger is really amazing...but so is their Tofu Fried Tofu Sandwich, which is basically slabs of tofu, marinated in a pickle juice brine, double battered, then fried. A few years back, they put out a great cookbook, with all of their secret vegetarian offerings, and this recipe is one of my faves. I tweaked it slightly, and it turned it out sooooooo good... Enjoy!
Prep the Tofu: Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Slice a 14 ounce block of extra firm tofu into six slabs, about 1/2 inch thick. Place on the paper towels, and lightly press them with a paper towel to soak up much of the moisture. In a shallow baking dish (I used 9" x 9"), whisk together 1 1/2 cups pickle juice (either out of a jar of pickles, or you can find jars of pickle juice for pickle backs as well), 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, heat up a few tablespoons of oil. Sear the tofu for about 4 minutes on each side, until it gets a nice golden brown crust. Then place directly in the marinade, making sure each side gets coverage. Place in the fridge, and let sit for a few hours.
Cook the Tofu Fried Tofu: Take two shallow bowls - in one, whisk together 1/2 cup Dijon with 1/4 cup of water, until smooth. In the other, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper. Mix well. In a large pot, heat a few inches of cooking oil over medium heat. Place the tofu slabs into the oil, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until nice and golden, and crispy. Transfer each to a wire rack, and sprinkle immediately with kosher salt.
Put Them Together: In a small bowl, mix about 2 cups of shredded cabbage with about 1/4 cup of the pickle marinade. Take your six buns, spray with coconut oil and sprinkled with paprika, and lighly toast until the insides are golden. Put a slab of mayo (vegan if you want) on each bun, and drizzle a little bit of hot sauce on top of the mayo. Put a cooked tofu slab on each, top with a few dill pickle slices and a pile of the cabbage, and cover with the top bun.
There you have it!