Sweet Chili Crispy Tofu Bowl
You wont see me saying this very much, we eat this every week. Once you learn how to make tofu crispy, which you will be an expert in by the end of this post, you'll never look back. I made this for clients and received one of my favorite comments, "I unknowingly ate tofu and LOVED it". At this point, he hardly looked at what I served before picking up the fork because he already adored every morsel that was previously set on the table in front of him. Oh, and this is inexpensive, takes only as long as your rice cooker, and its gut health approved.
Serves 2 | Level: Beginner
Ingredients
3/4-1 cup rice (dry)
1 block of tofu, pressed (see NOTE)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Spray of oil
1 small mango
1 avocado
1/2 an English cucumber
Radish (purple daikon and watermelon are my favorites)
1/3 cup shelled edamame
Pinch of greens (shredded lettuce, microgreens, sprouts, cabbage, whatever you like)
Sweet chili sauce
Method
Put your rice on in the rice cooker and get it going. Take out your air fryer or turn your oven to 450F (oven takes twice as long, which is why I avoid it if possible). Pat the tofu dry and break apart into 1/2-1inch chunks with your hands. Don't really worry about the size, that is just a range for your reference, not too big or small. Tearing the tofu makes it both crispier and more visually appealing as it creates those stunning ridges for crisping and sauce grabbing. Toss the tofu with soy sauce and corn starch and set aside or immediately oven depending on if you're doing the air fryer or not.
For air fryer (DO THIS ONE if possible): When the 15 minute timer comes on the rice cooker, toss your tofu in your air fryer. Give it a quick spritz of oil and put it in for 16 minutes on 400F. Give it a shake around halfway through so it doesn’t stick.
For oven (avoid this method unless absolutely necessary): preheat to 450F. Spread tofu evenly on a baking sheet, give it a spritz of oil, and pop in the oven immediately after turning on the rice cooker. Cook for 15 minutes, then (this is weird but do it anyways) open the oven to let out steam, then take the baking sheet out to flip them all over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until your satisfied with the crisp.
While the tofu is on, go ahead and chop up all your veggies while you’re waiting. Starting by sticking your frozen edamame in a bowl of hot tap water to thaw it. They will be thawed by the time the tofu is done. For the veggies, you can cube or slice, cut them in a way thats most fun for you to eat.
When the tofu is done, pour into a bowl and drizzle it in as much sweet chilli sauce as you feel like. Plate it up with the rice, and enjoy!
NOTE: pressing tofu: if you’re new to this it is an important step towards a crispy situation. I make it often enough to own a tofu press which is 11/10, I toss it in anywhere from the night before to an hour before, just whenever you remember. Like set it and forget it. If you don’t have one and don’t want to buy one, the OG way is between two sheet pans, and to stack something heavy like cans on the top pan to weigh it down. TBH it is a little annoying to use the pans, and I used to skip it a lot in my pre-press era before tofu presses were worth owning. It is not bad to skip but it’s elite to press it so, now you can make an informed decision about how you will be doing this.
Happy Eating! Did you make this? Tell me how it went below!
xoxo Slone's Kitchen
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