Say hello to my current favorite way to eat tofu:
Baked until golden and firm, tossed with a spicy peanut sauce, and heaped on top of rice with whatever green veg I can find in the fridge.
It’s so simple to make, tastes better than takeout, and makes for the best lunch leftovers throughout the week.
Let’s get spicy!
It all starts with the tofu. I know a lot of people are skeptical of it’s white, squishy, flavorless mysteries, but I’m here to tell you: tofu isn’t that scary.
It’s just, well, extremely boring on its own. So you need to SPICE IT UP.
It’s also one of the most highly sprayed/genetically modified crops on the planet, so I ALWAYS choose organic, and prefer sprouted tofu for easier digestion, whenever it’s available to me. Trader Joe’s has a great price for sprouted organic tofu, just FYI.
Once your organic tofu has been procured, simply drain and dice, toss with a little soy sauce, and bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes. No oil, no coating, nothing. This helps the tofu dry out and get nice and firm/crisp and ready to be tossed with peanut sauce.
Oh, and the sauce? SO GOOD. Like, sometimes I make a double batch just so I can have it around to dip veggies into and toss with noodles and drizzle over random other lunches throughout the week because once you have peanut sauce in your life you don’t even want any other sauces. It’s just a fact.
All that’s left to do is cook your grain of choice, steam a vegetable or two, and dive right into this bowl of spicy peanut goodness.
Whether you’re a longtime tofu lover or still curious about why people would even eat that stuff, I think you’re going to LOVE this spicy peanut tofu situation. It’s so simple, spicy, and satisfying that I seriously just can’t get enough.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your spicy peanut tofu bowl and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
- 12-14oz package tofu, organic and sprouted, if possible
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (can sub tamari, liquid aminos, etc)
- 1 lb green beans, broccoli, or other vegetable of choice, for serving
- 1 cup uncooked rice, or other grain of choice, for serving
- cilantro, scallions, chopped peanuts, and/or avocado, for serving (optional)
peanut sauce
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (can sub tamari, liquid aminos, etc)
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon sambal oelek (or other spicy chili paste/hot sauce of choice; can sub 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes)
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 large garlic clove
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Drain the tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and drizzle soy sauce over top. Let sit while oven preheats.
- Dump the tofu and any remaining soy sauce onto the sheet pan, spreading them out so none of the pieces are touching. Bake for 30 minutes.
- While tofu bakes, cook rice according to package directions, and steam whatever vegetable you’re serving with it.
- Make the peanut sauce in the same bowl you stirred the tofu in; add all ingredients to the bowl, using a microplane to grate the ginger and garlic directly into the sauce. Whisk to fully combine. Taste and add more soy for saltiness, maple for sweetness, or sambal oelek for heat. If too thick to drizzle, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin. Keep in mind that this sauce should be boldly flavored, as it’s going to flavor the otherwise tasteless tofu.
- Once tofu is done baking, toss it with the peanut sauce, and serve atop rice. Top with chopped cilantro, scallions, peanuts, and/or avocado, if using.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days, though may need a extra splash of water to thin the sauce, when reheating.