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SPICY TOFU BOWL

mayurisjikoni
Spicy Tofu Bowl is a healthy, delicious and easy recipe where I serve spicy tofu with salad ingredients and nuts with a light sesame seed dressing. This bowl is perfect as a light meal, for picnics, for lunch boxes or to serve it as a side to a main Chinese meal. And it is completely vegan and gluten free.
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marination Time: 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Light Meal, Salad
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

FOR THE SPICY TOFU

  • 250 g firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp chilli sauce
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

FOR THE SALAD BOWL

  • 2 cups baby pak choy finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 large bell pepper any colour
  • 100 g snow peas approx. 1 cup
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • ½ cup spring onion chopped
  • ½ cup almonds roasted and chopped

FOR THE SESAME SEED DRESSING

  • 2 tbsp sesame/olive oil
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic minced
  • ¼ tsp ginger minced or grated
  • ¼ tsp black pepper powder
  • ¼ tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds roasted
  • extra sesame seeds topping

Instructions
 

  • PREPARATION OF SPICY TOFU
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Cover the tofu slab with a kitchen paper towel so that it soaks up the moisture.
  • Leave it for 10 mins.
  • In the meantime, get the marination ready.
  • Take a wide bowl. Add ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, oil, chilli sauce and salt.
  • Mix it well.
  • Cut the tofu into bite size cubes.
  • Add it to the marination sauce. Gently mix it so the sauce coats all of the tofu pieces.
  • Add cornstarch or rice flour. Toss the tofu.
  • Arrange the tofu pieces on the prepared tray in a single layer.
  • Bake the tofu for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the tray and turn all the tofu pieces.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  • Remove the tray from the oven. Remove the tofu from the tray.
  • Brush the remaining sauce on the tofu pieces.

PREPARATION OF THE SESAME SEED DRESSING:

  • Mix all the sesame seed dressing ingredients in a bowl.
  • Keep it on the side till required.

PREPARATION OF THE SALAD:

  • Peel and cut the carrots into thin strips.
  • Cut the bell pepper into thin strips.
  • Wash the pak choy and wipe them dry with a kitchen towel. Chop it finely.
  • Put some water to boil in a saucepan.
  • In the meantime, trim the ends of the snow peas.
  • Keep a bowl of ice water ready.
  • Add the snow peas to the boiling water. Allow them to blanch for 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove the snow peas from the water using a slotted spoon and put them in the ice water. This stops the cooking process.
  • I prefer to wash the bean sprouts under cold water to remove any bacteria. Place them in a colander or sieve and wash. Allow the water to drain out completely.

PREPARATION OF SPICY TOFU BOWLS

  • Divide and arrange the salad ingredients, bean sprouts, spicy tofu and almonds in two wide bowls.
  • Drizzle the salad dressing over it and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Add salad ingredients of your choice like broccoli, cucumber, radish, onion, etc.
  • Make sure you use firm tofu as the medium one can crumble when marinated.
  • If you don't want to bake the tofu, then pan fry them. Make sure you keep tossing the tofu frequently otherwise it can stick to the pan.
  • I made a mistake of using aluminum foil.. parchment paper or silicon mat works better.
  • Add spices to the marinade according to your taste. Can add minced onion too.
  • Mix all the ingredients if you are carrying the salad for a potluck. Add the dressing later.
Keyword spicy tofu bowl, spicy tofu recipe, tofu salad bowl