This Sesame Ginger Tofu Poke Bowl is healthy comfort food at its finest. This cheap healthy meal is perfect if you’re cooking for two or cooking for a crowd. Who says a vegetarian dinner can’t be satisfying?
When was the first time you tried a poke bowl?
I first discovered poke bowls when we were (oddly enough) in Vancouver, and I’ve loved them ever since. This Hawaiian dish is traditionally made with veggies and raw fish (you can think of it almost like sashimi, with fish like tuna or salmon eaten over rice), but there are plenty of variations available! Since we eat vegetarian during the week (and also since raw fish is difficult to work with and hard to come by) I’ve created this vegetarian poke bowl in its place. It’s made with tofu, veggies, and my all-time favorite sesame dressing.
Poke bowls are great when you’re cooking for two!
The ingredients in this Sesame Ginger Tofu Poke Bowl are fairly simple, and you can make a ton ahead to have throughout the week! I get a lot of questions about how I cook my tofu, so here are a few tips. Make sure you drain your tofu well before cooking. I even like to “pat” it dry with a paper towel to help suck out some of the additional moisture. Tofu comes packaged in water, but in order to ensure it fries well in a pan, you want your tofu to be as dry as possible.
Another tip: pan-fry your tofu in sesame oil (versus olive oil or vegetable oil). This adds a really wonderful flavor, and in my opinion, makes tofu much tastier!
As for the rest of the bowl, the assembly and ingredients are fairly straightforward. As usual, I like to massage the dressing into my kale first, then add all the ingredients on top of that. This helps break the kale down, removes some bitterness, and “melds” the whole bowl together.
Ingredients
- 1 block tofu, cubed
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 8 cup chopped kale
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 4 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 Granny Smith apple, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- Crispy chow mein noodles, for garnish
- Guacamole, for serving
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Cook the tofu. Drain tofu well and press with a paper towel to soak out as much additional moisture as possible. Cut into cubes. Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toss in cubed tofu and gochujang and stir until all combined. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tofu is browned on all sides.
- Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
- Kale. In a large bowl, add the kale. Drizzle in the dressing and massage it into the kale until the kale is dark green and "wet." This will make the kale actually taste good.
- Assemble your bowls. Split the ingredients evenly between serving bowls; the brown rice, tofu, apple, ginger, cashews, sesame seeds, red onion, and cilantro. Garnish with chow mein noodles and guac.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Pat your tofu well with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture before pan-frying for crispier tofu!
We hope you love this Sesame Ginger Tofu Poke Bowl recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Sarah from Drool Worthy Daily, as much as we do. If you enjoyed this delicious recipe, be sure to visit our Vegetarian Section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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