Tofu is in serious need of a rebrand.
Somewhere along the way it got stuck with the reputation of being bland, boring and flavourless. It’s a PR disaster and tofu honestly deserves better. It’s affordable, endlessly versatile and capable of being utterly delicious.
If Tofu hired a new PR team, they would launch a new campaign focused on the tofu rice bowl. Crispy and saucy tofu piled onto fluffy rice, paired with colourful vegetables. Now that is a comeback story!
Ever since trying the teriyaki tofu bowl from Red Panda, my friends and I have been utterly obsessed. We made it out mission to recreate it at home but on a student budget of course.
What I love most about the rice bowl is how easy it is to customise. All you really need is some rice and whatever ingredients you have in the house.
When building a bowl, I like to think about balance. A good rule of thumb is filling a quarter of your plate with protein, another quarter with carbohydrates (in this case its rice), nearly half with vegetables, and leaving a small section for healthy fats.
And now presenting the official recipe that is responsible for tofu’s rebrand:
Ingredients (serves 1-2):
- 200/250g stir-fry tofu, cubed
- 75g rice (jasmine or basmati work great)
- ½ Cucumber, sliced
- ½ Fresh mango, sliced
- Large handful of mixed leaf salad
- ½ avocado
- 1tsp chilli oil
- 1tbsp soy sauce
- Vegetable/ olive oil
Method:
- Rinse 75g rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Add rice to a saucepan with 150ml of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 12 minutes (according to packet instructions).
- Whilst the rice is cooking, prepare the tofu. Heat a tsp of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the stir-fry tofu and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp on the outside. Add a tbsp of soy sauce into the pan allowing it to coat the tofu.
- Whilst the tofu cooks, toss the cucumber slices with a tbsp of soy sauce and salt.
- Now its time to build your bowl. First portion out the rice, top with crispy tofu, the simple cucumber salad, mango and a handful of mixed leaves. And finish it off strong with a drizzle of chilli oil and a little extra soy sauce if required.
- Serve and enjoy!
And there you have it, tofu has officially made a comeback.
This recipe is super easy to customise! I love adding gyozas, grated carrot or fried egg to mine.
Go on, give it a try!