Sweet Chile Grain Bowl With Tofu

Updated Jan. 7, 2024

Sweet Chile Grain Bowl With Tofu
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,158)
Comments
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You can use any kind of cooked grain as the base of this colorful, deeply flavored tofu and cabbage bowl. The grains, vegetables and tofu add texture, heft and protein, but the real star is the pungent sauce, a mix of chile crisp, garlic and soy sauce sweetened with ketchup. Brushed onto the tofu and cabbage before roasting, the sauce caramelizes and mellows. Drizzled on top of the bowl right at the end, it stays bright and snappy. Fresh cherry tomatoes tossed with more chile crisp make a juicy, spicy garnish, but you can leave them out if you don’t have any on hand.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1(14- to 16-ounce) package firm or extra-firm tofu
  • ¼cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
  • 2garlic cloves, grated or minced
  • ¼cup ketchup
  • tablespoons soy sauce
  • tablespoons fish sauce (or substitute an umami seasoning, such as Yondu or coconut amino acids, or more soy sauce)
  • 1tablespoon chile crisp, more to taste
  • 1teaspoon rice vinegar
  • cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more to taste
  • pounds napa cabbage, halved lengthwise, cored and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick
  • 1bunch scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1lime, cut into wedges (or use more rice wine vinegar)
  • 4cups cooked grains (rice, farro, barley, millet or whatever else you have on hand) or salad greens
  • Chopped cilantro, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

283 calories; 19 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 1141 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the tofu into 1-inch-thick slabs. Cut each slab in half to make squares. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels and place tofu on top. Place another layer of paper towels on the tofu and weigh down with a skillet or cans. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the tofu is draining, make the sauce: Heat the oil in a small pot or skillet over medium-high. Stir in the garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in ketchup, soy sauce, fish sauce, ½ tablespoon of the chile crisp and the rice vinegar. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, the remaining ½ tablespoon chile crisp and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

  5. Step 5

    Place tofu on one side of the prepared baking sheet and generously brush both sides of the pieces with the sauce.

  6. Step 6

    Add the cabbage to a bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt and toss with ¼ cup sauce. (Reserve remaining sauce for serving.) Spread cabbage on the other side of the baking sheet in an even layer.

  7. Step 7

    Roast tofu and cabbage for about 30 minutes, tossing the cabbage after 15 minutes. The tofu should be lightly golden at the edges and the cabbage tender and bronzed. Toss about half of the scallions into the cabbage and squeeze lime wedges over everything (or drizzle with a little rice vinegar). Taste cabbage and add more salt or sauce, if needed.

  8. Step 8

    To serve, put 1 cup grains in each of 4 bowls. Drizzle the grains with a little of the sauce. Top with tofu, cabbage and spicy tomatoes. Garnish with cilantro and remaining scallions, and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,158 user ratings
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Comments

We loved this! We doubled the sauce, and tossed the tofu in the pan with half of it and the cabbage in a bowl with the other. Much easier than brushing sauce on each little square of tofu. We also subbed Bragg’s Liquid Aminos instead of fish sauce.

What can I substitute for chili crisp?

Great to see Melissa Clark committing (finally long overdue) to learning more "plant-based cooking". How about listing the NON plant based ingredient fish-sauce as the last option for umami, not the first? (Or for a true commitment don't note fish sauce at all or note vegan fish sauce, which does exist).

Gochujang instead of the ketchup

Delicious. The only change I made was subbing Bok Choy for the Napa cabbage which burnt to a crisp.

The tomatoes make this dish! Bright and sweet and spicy from the chili crisp. Loved this recipe.

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