As I mentioned yesterday, I’m just coming back from vacation and am totally craving “healthy” homemade food. So, I prepared these Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls to eat for lunch the rest of the week. They’re packed with protein, fiber, and lots of vibrant colors and flavors. That’s exactly what I need to keep both my stomach and brain feeling full. I’ve actually been looking forward to lunch every day this week and finding myself thinking things like, “Is 10:30 too early for lunch?” LOL
Tofu Cooking Techniques
I’ve only recently gotten into tofu and am still experimenting with cooking methods. My favorite method previously had been coating pressed tofu with cornstarch, then pan frying. This time I decided to experiment with skipping the cornstarch all together. Guess what? The tofu was still pleasantly crispy and had a wonderful texture and mouthfeel. I might still do the cornstarch step on occasion, but skipping that step is definitely faster and easier.
No Marinating Needed!
I made a super simple spicy-sweet sauce for the tofu, which gave it all the flavor it needed without having to marinate. The tofu absorbed the sauce quickly in the skillet and turned the otherwise boring little tofu bricks into tasty little bites that I couldn’t stop stealing out of the skillet. I will probably make another batch immediately after I finish eating these bowls, and just eat them as is. They are that good.
Optional Sauces for Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls
This bowl isn’t a “saucy” dish, so if you like bowls to have dressing or a sauce to bring everything together you might try something like sriracha mayo or sweet chili sauce. A few creamy slices of avocado would also be an awesome addition if you want even more colors, flavors, and textures.
Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
SESAME KALE
- 1 bunch kale ($1.50)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.09)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.11)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.08)
CHILI GARLIC TOFU
- 14 oz block firm tofu $2.00 ($2.00)
- 2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce* ($0.42)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.09)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.04)
BOWLS
- 4 cups cooked brown rice ($0.64)
- 1 lime ($0.33)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.25)
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from its package and wrap it in a clean, lint-free kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel. Place the wrapped tofu between two plates and place something heavy on top (like a pot full of water). Let the tofu press for at least 30 minutes.
- While the tofu is pressing, prepare the kale. Remove the stems from the kale, then cut the leaves into one-inch wide strips. Rinse the leaves well in a colander with cool water. Let drain.
- Mince the garlic and add it to large pot with one tablespoon cooking oil. Sauté over medium heat for about one minute. Add the washed kale and continue to stir and cook until the kale is wilted (about five minutes). Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Set the kale aside.
- Prepare the sauce for the tofu. In a small bowl, stir together the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Once the tofu is finished pressing, cut it into small cubes or rectangles.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add one tablespoon of cooking oil. Tilt the skillet to make sure the surface is completely covered. Add the tofu pieces. Let them fry until golden brown on bottom, then flip and fry until golden brown on the other side. Continue until the pieces are golden brown on most sides. (The tofu will stick until it is browned, at which point it will loosen from the skillet, so don’t try to move or flip the tofu pieces too early.)
- Once the tofu is browned on most sides, turn off the heat, pour the prepared chili garlic sauce into the skillet, and stir to coat. The sauce will thicken slightly and absorb into the tofu.
- To build the bowls, add one cup of cooked rice to each bowl along with 1/4 of the sesame kale and 1/4 of the chili garlic tofu pieces. Slice a lime into wedges and serve each bowl with one or two wedges and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the bowl just before eating.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Remove a 14oz. block of tofu from its package and wrap it in a clean, lint-free kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel. Place the wrapped tofu between two plates, then set something heavy on top to press it. Let it press for about 30 minutes (or while you’re preparing the kale). My tofu came in two pieces in the package this time, but it still works the same.
Remove the stems from one bunch of kale, then stack the leaves and cut them into one-inch wide strips. Rinse the kale in a colander with cool running water. (For more detailed instructions and photos of the sesame kale portion of this bowl, see the Sesame Kale blog post.)
Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a large pot along with one tablespoon of cooking oil. Sauté over medium heat for about one minute, then add the washed kale. Continue to stir and cook until the kale has wilted (about five minutes). Once wilted, add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, and 1 Tbsp sesame seeds. Stir to coat. Set the kale aside.
The base for my sauce is this chili garlic sauce. It’s just a chunky mixture of red chiles, garlic, vinegar, and salt. It’s like sriracha’s more rustic cousin and it’s good on pretty much anything you’d put sriracha on.
This is what the sauce looks like up close. You should be able to find this in the Asian foods aisle of major grocery stores, near the sriracha. If you can’t find it, sambal oelek and sriracha also work well.
To make the sauce for the tofu, mix 2 Tbsp of that chili garlic sauce with 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp brown sugar. Set the prepared sauce aside.
When the tofu is finished pressing, cut it into small cubes or rectangles. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and tilt the skillet to make sure the surface if completely covered. Add the tofu cubes and let them fry until golden brown on the bottom. They WILL stick until they are browned, at which point they will loosen. So, don’t try to move them around or flip them early or else they’ll break apart and you’ll have a mess. :) Once browned, flip and brown again. Continue until they’re browned on most sides.
Once browned, turn off the heat, pour the prepared sauce over the tofu, and stir to coat. The sauce will thicken just a bit and absorb into the tofu making them insanely delicious.
I mean REALLY DELICIOUS. I ate a few. I couldn’t help it.
Anyway, to build the bowls just put one cup cooked rice (or whatever grain is your favorite–I used brown jasmine rice) in a bowl and add 1/4 of the sesame kale and 1/4 of the chili garlic tofu pieces. Slice a lime into wedges and add a couple wedges to each bowl, along with a couple sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional). Squeeze the lime over the Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls just before eating and enjoy!! …I know I did. ;)
This was my first time cooking tofu and I loved it!! I tried reheating my leftovers in the microwave though and the tofu didn’t come out well. Any tips on reheating?
I made this tonight with sriracha and it was so delicious! The kids even loved it, and they’re still adjusting to meat only a few times a week as we move towards a plant based diet. Don’t skip the squeeze of lime as it turned the kale from just ok to scrumptious (at least for me). I am sorry to report there are no leftovers as we all would love to have this again sometime soon.
HI, I am very interested to try your chili garlic tofu recipe but am wondering how much soy sauce to put in the sauce. The recipe states 1 Tbsp but the step by step directions say 1 tsp.
Thank you!
Thanks for catching that! It should be 1 Tbsp. Fixing it now. :)
This is one of the most amazing dishes I have ever had! I have made it 3 times in the last month. The flavors are so intense! And this is the best method for cooking tofu. And the kale is fantastic cooked this way. Thank you for a recipe that I will use over and over! It is totally delicious! And plant based! Thank you!!
I make SO often and we LOVE it. It’s so filling and amazingly tasty. BudgetBytes’ tofu bowls are something we have just about every week in our house. I have to say, one thing that put this dish over the top is we use Minnesota wild rice with our dishes. I know it’s not a cheap rice, but it’s SO good.
Love your recipes. Fast, easy, and nutritious -what could be better!
This was soo good!! i made this at night and had it for lunch the following day- and the tofu was still crispy and satisfying! awesome! adding this to my rotation.
I’m always blown away by how quick, simple and tasty all your tofu recipes are. I can easily make this for a quick weeknight dinner now that Ive got it down to a T.
Put my brown rice in a rice cooker then preheat oven for 15 minutes, pop in the tofu (covered in oil, salt, pepper) 15 minutes on one side, 15 minutes on the second. Once its done, I toss it in the bowl with the marinade (I just use the Sriracha paste and add fresh garlic to it.). On stovetop; sauté kale, garlic and oil.
So amazing! Keep them coming. Much appreciated :]
I tried this yesterday, put a little spin on, it was GREAT!!🍷
Eating this right now and absolutely loving it. Thanks for the simple, healthy, and delicious recipe!!
I never could have expected something so simple to be *this* delicious! I absolutely loved this meal!
This looks like another awesome tofu dish! I’ll have to try this, I see that chili sauce at the grocery store all the time when I buy the thai red curry paste for your soup.
I may have said this before, but my favorite way to make tofu is fairly similar. I rinse the cube well and slice it thinly like you did here, and then I just pat the slices dry, no need to press it (saves lots of time!)
Then I drizzle a little soy sauce over each piece, followed by sprinkles of adobo seasoning, paprika, and nutritional yeast (which could be skipped but I like the cheesy taste it adds and how it complements the adobo seasoning). I season both sides.
Once seasoned, I add the slices to a skillet that’s been pre-heated with oil. I cook the tofu on each side for about 5 minutes.
They taste amazing with chimichurri sauce!
(The recipe is adapted from this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxHAbIddCXE)
I’m going to have to try that! Thanks for sharing! :)
The tofu was so good! It didn’t stick to the pan like it has in the past when I’ve coated it with cornstarch, and the sauce still stuck to it. Delish :) I added it to a stir fry and it was awesome.
Holy tastiness, Batman! I’m not usually the type of person who can eat the same thing every day without getting tired of it. I still do it sometimes for the time and money saving factor, but usually after a couple days I am very un-enthused about my next meal, and eating it becomes nothing more than a necessary routine rather than an experience, as my most enjoyable meals are. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit dramatic.
But my point is, not only did I not feel this way about this recipe, I actually had to hold myself back from eating it for every single meal of the day (yes, even breakfast). I honestly can’t see myself ever getting enough of this! The flavours are so well balanced! Sweet brown sugar, salty soy sauce, nutty sesame, sour lime and fresh cilantro all complement each other nicely! Contrary to what I was expecting, the tofu is not numb-your-lips hot. It has a kick to it, for sure, but it’s mellowed out by all the other flavours in the dish.
I’ve never been so excited to eat my leftovers!
Awesome!! Yes, I know I’ve found a good recipe when I can eat it for four days straight and still look forward to eating it every. single. day. :) When I don’t have a recipe that is that good, it does take some mental effort to focus on being thankful that I even have the food, then I don’t mind eating it for 4-5 days in a row. ;)
That is very true. Having too much food is first world problems in a nutshell! I have been using this site to try and cut back on eating out, which was both an expensive and often unhealthy habit that I got myself into during my college years. I think I’m still trying to adjust to sacrificing variety for savings and health. But recipes like this are helping immensely! Keep them coming!
This makes an awesome, filling, and tasty meal! I was a little worried about the spice level but it was just right! I didn’t add any extra schirracha! But the tofu somehow makes the spicy sauce just right. FIlling too!