Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies
These Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls with Quick Pickled Veggies are a super delicious, flavor-packed plant based meal! The tofu is baked and tossed in a spicy peanut sauce, then served over rice with quick pickled vegetables, crispy shallots, chopped peanuts, scallions, and cilantro. So much flavor!
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu, cut into 1'' chunks*
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the quick pickled red onions
- 1/4 of a medium red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the quick pickled cucumbers
- 1/4 of a large seedless cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the peanut sauce
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (the natural, drippy kind)
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/3 cup hot water
For the crispy shallots
- canola or vegetable oil for frying
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour*
- sea salt
For the bowls
- your favorite rice*
- roasted, salted chopped peanuts
- thinly sliced scallions
- chopped cilantro
- sesame seeds
Instructions
For the tofu
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Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tofu cubes on the baking sheet and add the sesame oil, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and soy sauce until evenly coated. Sprinkle on the cornstarch and toss again to coat. Bake for 40-45 minutes, tossing halfway through baking, until golden and crispy on the edges. After baking, toss in 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce.
For the quick pickled red onions
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In a medium bowl, combine the red onion, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while tofu is baking. That's it!
For the quick pickled cucumbers
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In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while tofu is baking. That's it!
For the peanut sauce
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sriracha, honey, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce until smooth. Add the hot water and whisk together until smooth and creamy. If you like a thinner sauce, add more hot water a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
For the crispy shallots
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Heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. You will know when oil is ready when you stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil and tiny bubbles form around it. Fry the shallots in batches, for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt while they are hot. Let drain on paper towels. Do this in 2-3 batches to avoid overcrowding.
To serve
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Place tofu over a bed of rice. Top with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and a handful of pickled onions and cucumbers. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a handful of crispy shallots. Devour!
Recipe Notes
*I recommend pressing your tofu with a tofu press like this one
*You can sub a gluten free flour if you need to! This
*I used white jasmine rice, but you can use brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice for a lower carb option!
*If you want to make these for dinner during the week, but you don’t have a ton of time after work, you can cook a batch of rice on the weekend, make the peanut sauce on the weekend, chop up your veggies, and then during the week, you can just cook the tofu, and marinate the pickled veggies while it’s baking!