The other day I got a craving for that drooly-delicious pan-fried tofu that I made a couple months ago and I knew I had to make more. But, instead of making the exact same dish, I decided to come up with a new flavor combo for my bowl. I decided to go with a tropical theme by combining my favorite savory coconut rice with mangoes, avocados, and a honey lime glaze for the tofu. The resulting Mango Coconut Tofu Bowls are truly epic. EPIC.
Don’t Break the Bank with Mango Coconut Tofu Bowls
There are probably three ingredients that can make or break your budget with this recipe, so watch these closely: avocados, mangoes, and coconut milk. I happened to be at Winn Dixie this week (not my usual store) and saw that they had cans of coconut milk for only $1.50 each. That’s a good $0.75 less than my normal store, so I grabbed one (still more than Trader Joe’s, but the New Orleans TJ has not opened yet).
Avocados have been priced great lately (about $1 each), but I kind of got hit on the mangoes at $1.69 each. Two out of three isn’t bad, though, and the total price for the bowl is still relatively low thanks to the inexpensive rice and tofu.
Can I Use a Different Fruit?
If you’re not into mango or can’t get them in your area, pineapple makes a great substitution in this dish.
How Do you Make Tofu Crispy?
I love using this simple cornstarch pan fry technique to make my tofu crispy. It’s so incredibly easy. Just press the tofu to remove excess moisture, coat the tofu in a light dusting of cornstarch, then do a shallow pan fry in a little oil. The tofu turns out wonderfully crispy without having to deep fry.
Mango Coconut Tofu Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
SAVORY COCONUT RICE
- 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine or basmati rice ($0.66)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($1.50)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
HONEY LIME GLAZE
- 1 lime ($0.25)
- 1/4 cup honey ($0.48)
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.03)
- 1 tsp corn starch ($0.04)
PAN FRIED TOFU
- 1 14oz. package firm or extra firm tofu ($1.99)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp corn starch ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil for frying ($0.04)
BOWL TOPPINGS
- 1 mango ($1.69)
- 1 avocado, sliced ($1.00)
- 2-3 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro ($0.10)
Instructions
- Begin by pressing the tofu. Remove the tofu from the package, draining away all moisture. Wrap the tofu in a clean, lint-free dish towel or a few layers of paper towel. Place the wrapped tofu between two plates and place something heavy on top (cast iron pan or pot full of water). Let the tofu press for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the Savory Coconut Rice, combine the uncooked rice, minced garlic, salt, coconut milk, and water in a medium pot. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pot sit, undisturbed, for 10 more minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the honey lime glaze. Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the thin layer of green zest from the lime. Squeeze the juice from the lime into a separate bowl (you’ll need about 1/4 cup juice). Combine the juice with 1/2 tsp of the zest, honey, soy sauce, and corn starch in a bowl. Stir until the corn starch and honey are dissolved.
- After the tofu has been pressed, cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Blot with a paper towel if needed to make sure the surface is dry. Season the tofu with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the corn starch over top and gently toss until all the pieces are well coated.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the tofu and fry on until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the fried tofu from the pan and turn the heat down to low. While the tofu fries, cut the mango into cubes.
- Give the prepared glaze a quick stir, then add it to the skillet. Allow the glaze to begin to simmer, at which point it will thicken. Once thickened, turn the heat off and add the fried tofu and cubed mango. Toss to coat in the glaze.
- To build the bowls, place about one cup of the savory coconut rice in the bottom of each bowl, then top with a scoop of the mango and tofu. Add sliced green onions, sliced avocado, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a few sprigs of cilantro on top of each bowl.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Mango Coconut Tofu Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Start with one 14oz. package of tofu, either firm or extra-firm. I decided I liked the slightly softer texture of firm as opposed to extra firm. Drain the water from the package.
Press the excess moisture out of the tofu for at least 30 minutes. Wrap the block of tofu in a clean, lint-free towel or a couple layers of paper towel. Place the wrapped tofu between two plates, then set something heavy on top (I used a cast iron skillet this time).
While the tofu is pressing, start the coconut rice. In a medium pot combine 1.5 cups of uncooked jasmine or basmati rice, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1 clove of garlic, minced. Add a 13.5oz. can of coconut milk (full fat or lite) and one cup of water. Stir briefly to combine.
Place a lid on the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes without disturbing. Finally, take the lid off and fluff with a fork. Replace the lid to keep the rice warm and set it aside.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the honey lime glaze. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the lime. Once the zest is removed, juice the lime into a separate bowl. You’ll need about 1/4 cup of juice. To help maximize the juice, roll and press the lime on the counter for a few seconds before cutting it open. That will help soften the lime and yield more juice.
Combine the 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/2 tsp of the zest, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp corn starch in a bowl. Stir until the corn starch and honey are dissolved.
Cut the mango into cubes. For a detailed tutorial on how to do this, watch this video.
Once the tofu has been pressed, cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel, if needed. Season the tofu with a pinch of salt, then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp corn starch. Gently toss the cubes until they’re coated in corn starch.
Heat 2 Tbsp neutral oil (corn, peanut, vegetable, canola, etc.) in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the tofu cubes and fry until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the fried tofu from the skillet and turn the heat down to low.
Give the prepared glaze a quick stir, then pour it into the empty skillet. Allow it to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken into a shiny glaze. Once thickened, add the tofu back along with the cubed mango. Toss to coat in the glaze.
Now all the components are made and it’s time to build the bowls! Start with about one cup of the coconut rice, then add 1/4 of the tofu & mango mixture. Add a few slices of the avocado, a pinch of red pepper flakes, some sliced green onions, and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. DONE! :D
And, you know, if you’re into it you can always add a splash of sriracha to your Mango Coconut Tofu Bowl. ;)
she’s done it again!! this is SO good. can’t wait to add it to the dinner rotation!
These bowls have become a staple in our house (sometimes with the addition of black beans), but even more, this coconut rice is almost the only way we cook rice now! It works in so many dishes!
If I’m using frozen mango chunks, about how much should I use? 1 cup?
1 cup should be good!
This was delish! We just made it for our first time tonight and this will be a regular on the rotation. We added pickled onions, jalapeños, sesame seeds and a sriracha mayo on top!
Would this work with other fruit ? Like apricots ? We have too many and trying to find yummy savory recipes (non-dessert)
Absolutely! Apricots sound amazing!
One of my favorite dishes ever, and I have made many, including many from Budgetbytes. I cooked the tofu in the air fryer and added thinly shredded fresh basil garnish on top that I had on hand. The flavors remind me a lot of a curry at a Thai restaurant that I love.
If I could give this 10 stars I would! It is so good, I’ve made it for dinner 4 times in the past month. I went by the suggestion of some of the comments and lessened the honey a bit. I used tamari instead of soy sauce to keep it gluten free. I made the rice in the Instant Pot (7 minutes on Manual setting). And I air fried the tofu. Delicious and quick! I’ve shared this with all my friends. I can’t wait to try more of your tofu recipes! Thank you for such a tasty and budget friendly recipe!!
The only change I made was adding some sriracha to the glaze, which I think helped balance out the sweetness. This was very tasty; a great last hurrah from summer.
This was a winner for my family. My youngest is a generally a picky eater, but I decided to give this a shot since she recently tried (and liked) crisp fried tofu. Bonus: I got to teach her how to make the dish – she was excited to zest and juice a lime for the first time. The honey lime glaze was a bit sweeter than my personal preference, so we may dial that back next time and amp up the savory bits. I was skeptical that it would be enough for a family of 4, but we even had some leftover rice. Thanks for a great recipe!
My husband started chanting “more warm
Mango meals!”
Hahaha, I love this comment. :)
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes of all time, no joke. My cousin sent me it when she became vegetarian (I’m not vegetarian, but I’m heading in that direction) and I’m so glad she did. I’ve made it a few times now and it’s just great. The savory of the coconut rice mixes perfectly with the sweetness of the glaze. And this is my favorite method for preparing tofu.
My god this was so good. SO GOOD!
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! This dish was a hit at home. The combination of flavours was perfect and I loved the addition of mango. Will definitely make this again.
I keep coming back to this recipe; the sauce is so good I always double it. The tofu texture for me is better when frozen and then thawed before pressing- it is more firm. I also like using calrose rice.
Can the rice be done in instant pot?
Probably! I suggest trying the rice function.