You will love this Tofu Bowl with sesame, sweet potato, miso and kimchi. It is really easy and you’ll be surprised how very good it tastes. I am obsessed with this miso glaze recipe on in this dish and I use it on everything! If you want to make an impressive plant-based dish you can even make ahead, then read on.
Tofu is very cheap. Fact
It also often tastes like cardboard. Another fact.
But this way of cooking it will change your mind!
Putting this pimped Tofu together with some ready-made staples will have you impressing yourself big time. It’s all in the preparation. Make all the elements ahead and just pull it together when you are ready. Of course, you can make it and eat it straight away too. At one point in time, we all had no time to cook and had to prepare ahead.
If you make some ahead ready to go it can make mealtime in a house where you all eat different things a bit easier. Plant based or vegetarian food is often a last thought for the cook who has multiple things to juggle. Either way here are the steps.
Do not get scared off by the length of the recipe. I have just tried to explain things in detail to make it easier! So, the best way to start this recipe is to make the truly morish miso glaze that makes it hard to pass up. It really is very simple and just requires a few easy to get ingredients.
So next up you will need to prepare some steamed sweet potato. The sweet potato provides colour, sweetness and a great texture when the dish is finished. It’s the part that feels substantial and filling. All you need to do is peel and slice it in 1 cm thicknesses then steam it until just tender.
Set the sweet potato aside now. Store the cooked sweet potato in a container with a lid in the refrigerator if you aren’t using straight away.
Tofu can be boring but not in this recipe.
One of the other things you will need for this dish is hard tofu, this is the base of the bowl. The tofu is the kind that slices well and can be crumbed and fried. You will need sesame seeds and gluten free flour. Of course, if you don’t mind a bit of gluten then use all purpose flour.
You will also need some vegetable oil to fry your tofu slices in a shallow pan until golden. Drain the golden slices once cooked on paper and set aside
Just add these great things from the market
All of the pieces of this bowl are just about assembled now. You just need a few bits from the market or the supermarket to finish it all off with flavour and style. This is a vegan dish and so a couple of these bits really make it special. I use Kimchi and a nondairy cream cheese. Don’t skip these bits because they give it extra depth.
Tofu Bowl with sesame, sweet potato, miso and kimchi
Ingredients
- 1 kg Tofu, hard 2 x 500 gm packet or equivalent they have about 6 slices per block (12 slices = 6 serves) (2 lb)
- 50 gm gluten free flour or all purpose flour (1.8 oz)
- 50 gm sesame seeds 1.8 oz
- 600 gm sweet potato or two medium
Miso Sauce
- 50 gm white miso (1.8 oz)
- 50 gm sugar caster (1.8 oz)
- 20 ml soy sauce gluten free / 1 Tablespoon
- 20 ml sesame oil 1 Tablespoon
- 15 gm ginger fresh grated / 1 tablespoon
- 250 ml water (1 aust cup) 8.8 fl oz
- 1 each vegetable stock cube gluten free
- 10 gm cornflour 1 tablespoon (maise based)
- 40 ml water warm, 2 Tablespoons
Cheese Squiggle and Kimchi
- 255 gm sheese cream cheese (9 oz)
- 80 ml sesame oil 4 Tablespoons
- 80 ml water or soy milk
- 430 gm kimchi, vegan, check labels for gluten (15 oz)
- 50 gm extra sesame seeds to finish the dish
- 200 ml vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Miso Sauce
- Put the stock cube into the warm water to dissolve.
- Then add the miso, caster sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Whisk to combine. Bring up to the boil.
- Mix the 40 ml (2 Tablespoons) water and cornflour together. Take the boiling miso sauce off the heat and whisk in the cornflour. Put back on the heat and whisk till thickened. Once thick pour into a container and set aside.
Sweet Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-1/2 cm rounds (1/2 in) You will need 1 or 2 slices per person. Put into a steamer and steam till just tender. Take out of the steamer and set aside till needed.
Crumbed Tofu
- Cut the tofu into 1-1/2 cm thick slices (1/2 inch). Lay the tofu on the chopping board and cut the slices along the shortest side of the block. You will get about 5-6 slices per block of a 500 gm (1 lb) They are effectively Tofu steaks so cut them thick enough to be crumbled and fried. (see the pictures above for a guide) You should get 5- 6 serves depending on how thick you cut the slices, there are 2 per serve
- Pat the Tofu slices dry. Mix the sesame seeds, gluten free flour and a pinch of salt together. Dip the Tofu slices into the sesame flour turning them and pressing down firmly
- Prepare a tray with kitchen paper to drain the fried Tofu. Heat a large high sided fry pan and add the vegetable oil. Wait till the oil is medium hot (test it by tossing in a sesame seed and waiting till it starts to sizzle). Start to add the Tofu slices and let them fry on one side till golden before turning over. Do not add too many at once. Work in batches
- Once golden set them onto the draining paper and continue.
Cheese drizzle
- Empty the container of Sheese into a small bowl. Gradually stir in the sesame oil (80 ml) and the soy milk or water (80 ml). Mix till smooth. Scrape into a disposable piping bag, or a zip lock bag with a small hole cut in the corner. (You could also use a squeeze bottle if you have one). This is so you can squiggle it on top of the finished dish. You could also just spoon some on too!
Finishing your Tofu Sesame Bowl
- Take the Kimchi out of the fridge so that it isn't so cold when you use it.
- Turn the oven onto 180 C or 350 F. Line a baking tray with paper. Put two pieces of Tofu side by side. Continue this on the baking tray leaving room between each serve.
- Spoon on a little of the miso glaze over the Tofu slices placed side by side spreading it roughly. (see pictures above) Put a piece (or two) of sweet potato onto the top of each serve of Tofu and again smother with the miso glaze. Nice and thick.
- Put the Tofu and sweet potato into the oven. bake for approx 15-20 minutes or until hot and starting to brown a little on the edges. While you are waiting prepare the dishes. ( I also steam some green vegetables at this time too. Things like broccoli, beans snowpeas or peas). I also slice some green shallots (onions) and put these in water to curl a little while waiting.
- Set up 6 warm bowls and put a big spoon of Kimchi on the bottom of each bowl. When the Tofu / sweet potato stack comes out of the oven put one into each dish. Smother it in squiggles of cheese and same seeds. Top with shallots (or coriander leaves) and serves with green vegetables
Notes
- Make the sauce
- Fry the Tofu
- Steam the sweet Potato
- Make the cream cheese dressing
- Put it together and reheat as needed.
- for drizzling over steamed vegetables.
- as a sauce over plain brown rice or quinoa
- with green vegetables
- with roast chicken
- with roasted eggplant
- with all kinds of things!
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Very nice,looks healthy and delicious.I follow you on your social media account.
Looks really flavourful served over a bed of kimchi!