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    Home - Recipes - Vegan

    Korean BBQ Tofu Bowls

    Feb 21, 2018 · Modified: Aug 9, 2022 by Courtney · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

    1594 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Korean BBQ Tofu bowls are a tasty and healthy vegan meal perfect for any hot sauce lover. Tofu is tossed with a spicy gochujang Korean style BBQ sauce and served with broccolini, quinoa, and sauerkraut.

    A top down view of a Korean BBQ tofu bowl.

    We are firm believers that pretty much any food tastes better spicy and that you require the correct hot sauce for the job.  Our fridge is a reflection of this.  At any given time there seems to be at least 5 different varieties of hot sauces in there.  Peri Peri, scotch bonnet, cayenne...  you name it, we've got it or at least had a bottle of it in there at some point.

    WHAT IS GOCHUJANG?

    I had never heard of Gochujang before (probably because I had never had Korean food), but James was already a fan and was excited for any recipe that would get a little bit more into his life.  We developed this Korean BBQ Tofu Bowl with his love of it in mind.

    Gochujang is spicy fermented Korean condiment.  It has a sweet/savoury/tangy/spicy flavour and is similar in taste to Sriracha. It is usually sold in a tub similar to and can be found in Asian supermarkets or the international food section of your local grocery store.

    WHAT IS 5 SPICE TOFU?

    If you are familiar with tofu, but not Five Spice Tofu, it is worth searching it out in the tofu section.  Five Spice tofu is pressed and dried so it has a firmer texture than even extra firm tofu and therefore 'meatier', it also holds up well during cooking.

    If you can't find it, firm tofu will do just fine.

    When we were grocery shopping for the week, our store just happened to have the cutest little bundles of broccolini, which we hadn't seen at all in the last couple of months so we decided that we wanted to use them in some way and they ended up in this dish.  You can use whatever vegetables you prefer and it would come out just as tasty.  One thing not to skip is the sauerkraut.

    Ingredients for Korean BBQ Tofu Bowls:

     For the sauce:

    • Tomato paste
    • Rice vinegar
    • Tamari
    • Sesame seeds
    • Miso
    • Gochujang (or another kind of chilli paste)
    • Green onions
    • Garlic
    • Ginger

    For the bowls:

    • Five spice tofu
    • Quinoa
    • Broccolini
    • Sauerkraut
    • Garnishes: cilantro, black sesame seeds, red cabbage

    How to Make Korean BBQ Tofu Bowls:

    1. In a medium saucepan whisk together the tomato paste, vinegar, tamari, sesame seeds, miso, gochujang, black pepper, green onions, garlic and ginger and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer the sauce until it is slightly thickened (about 10 mins).
    2. Heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick frying pan at medium high heat. Add the cubed tofu and cook, turning cubes occasionally to crisp all sides. When the tofu is cooked, place it in a medium mixing bowl and add about half of the sauce mixture. Toss to coat.
    3. Put quinoa and 2 cups of water into a medium pot and bring to a boil.
    4. After the quinoa has been cooking for about 5 mins, begin to steam the vegetables. We use a steamer that fits over our pot to steam the vegetables over the quinoa while it is cooking. They should steam for about 5 mins, or just until the broccolini has turned a vibrant shade of green.
    5. Divide the quinoa between 4 bowls. Place ¼ of the vegetables and ¼ of the tofu over top of the quinoa. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the bowls.
    6. Garnish the bowls with the shredded cabbage, sauerkraut, cilantro and sesame seeds.

    DIETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    This recipe for easy bean salad is suitable for the following diets:

    • vegan and vegetarian
    • clean eating
    • dairy free

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    MORE BOWL RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

    If you like this easy bean salad, you might want to check out some of our other vegan bowl recipes:

    • Gado Gado
    • Peanut soba noodles with broccoli and spinach
    • Healthy Nicoise Salad

    If you have made this recipe we’d love to see it! Tag us on Insta @loveandgoodstuff. Loved this? Don’t forget to rate it below!

    a top down view of a Korean BBQ tofu bowl.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 15 votes

    Korean BBQ Tofu Bowls

    Spicy gochujang Korean BBQ style tofu with broccolini and quinoa
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Korean
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings: 4 bowls
    Calories: 382kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients:

    Korean BBQ Sauce

    • ¼ cup tomato paste
    • ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
    • ¼ cup tamari
    • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
    • 1 Tablespoon miso paste
    • 1 Tablespoon gochujang
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper - ground
    • 2 green onion - thinly sliced
    • 1 clove garlic - minced
    • 1 inch ginger - grated

    For the Bowls

    • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
    • 2 bunches broccolini
    • 1 Tablespoon tamari
    • 15 ounces five spice tofu - cubed
    • 1 cup quinoa
    • ½ cup red cabbage - shredded
    • ¼ cup sauerkraut
    • 2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
    • cilantro for garnish

    Instructions

    • In a medium sauce pan whisk together the tomato paste, vinegar, tamari, sesame seeds, miso, gochujang, black pepper, green onions, garlic and ginger and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer the sauce until it is slightly thickened (about 10 mins).
    • Heat the sesame oil in a large non stick frying pan at medium high heat.  Add the cubed tofu and cook, turning cubes occasionally to crisp all sides. When the tofu is cooked, place it in a medium mixing bowl and add about half of the sauce mixture.  Toss to coat.
    • Put quinoa and 2 cups of water into a medium pot and bring to a boil.  
    • After the quinoa has been cooking for about 5 mins, begin to steam the vegetables.  We use a steamer that fits over our pot to steam the vegetables over the quinoa while it is cooking.  They should steam for about 5 mins, or just until the broccolini has turned a vibrant shade of green.
    • Divide the quinoa between 4 bowls.  Place ¼ of the vegetables and ¼ of the tofu over top of the quinoa.  Drizzle the remaining sauce over the bowls.
    • Garnish the bowls with the shredded cabbage, sauerkraut, cilantro and sesame seeds

    Nutrition

    Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 23gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1445mgPotassium: 555mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1954IUVitamin C: 91mgCalcium: 271mgIron: 6mg

    * nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @loveandgoodstuff or tag #loveandgoodstuff!
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    About Courtney

    I'm Courtney and I love great food!

    Creating delicious meals, photographing them, and sharing them with friends and family are some of my favourite joys ❤️
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    Comments

    1. georgie @ georgieeats says

      May 23, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!!! I will have to try it out and see if it tastes as good as it looks!! Thanks for the inspo 🙂 Have pinned the recipe 🙂 X

      Reply
      • Courtney says

        May 23, 2018 at 5:10 pm

        You’re welcome! It’s a staple in our house! I hope you love it as much as we do. Thanks for sharing 🙂

        Reply
    2. Emily Meyer says

      November 08, 2018 at 6:32 pm

      Ohhh I would love this bowl! It has all of my favorite flavors. I especially love the use of sauerkraut, that sounds so tasty. I'll be saving this to have for lunch soon.

      Reply
    3. Cliona Keane says

      November 08, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      This looks packed with flavour! Love how colourful it is too!

      Reply
    4. Tayler Ross says

      November 08, 2018 at 8:59 pm

      I love all of these bright and colorful ingredients! The perfect meal!

      Reply
    5. Annemarie says

      November 08, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      I love all the colors in this. It looks so flavorful and delicious!

      Reply
    6. Ellen says

      November 08, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      If it tastes as good as it looks I'll be in heaven!

      Reply
    7. Karyl Henry says

      November 10, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      I'm such a texture eater, it took me a really long time before I would ever eat tofu...but I love it now when it's crispy! I'm definitely going to need to give this recipe a try, because I love the Korean BBQ sauce

      Reply
    8. Daniela says

      November 10, 2018 at 5:47 pm

      I love spicy food, so these Korean tofu bowls are right up my alley. I also love that they are vegan and dairy free!

      Reply
    9. Kiki Johnson says

      November 10, 2018 at 7:16 pm

      These bowls look gorgeous! I love that you added sauerkraut - I have been looking for ways to incorporate more fermented food into my diet and these tofu bowls look like the perfect Sunday dinner project !

      Reply
    10. Anne says

      November 10, 2018 at 9:34 pm

      I love this bowl! So many delicious and healthy ingredients! I bet it's bursting with flavor

      Reply
    11. Leslie Haasch says

      November 12, 2018 at 12:38 am

      I will rarely eat tofu, but the way you've prepared it looks irresistible.

      Reply
    12. Eileen Kelly says

      November 12, 2018 at 2:14 am

      I am a huge fan of Korean flavors! This bowl is super flavorful and easy to make! I love 5 spice tofu. I am adding these to my rotation of weekly recipes!

      Reply
    13. Heather says

      November 12, 2018 at 12:02 pm

      Wow.. so bright and colorful!! I love how easy this is to bring together and such an awesome blend of flavors.. looks amazing!

      Reply
    14. Natalie says

      November 12, 2018 at 1:07 pm

      That Korean BBQ sauce sounds really flavorful and delicious. This is definitely something I need to try. Love the colors and flavors in this meal . + It's super healthy too. Win!

      Reply
    15. Jacque Hastert says

      November 12, 2018 at 1:26 pm

      This dish looks truly amazing. It would be perfect for Meatless Mondays or just when you're wanting a dish loaded with authentic flavors.

      Reply
    16. Des says

      November 12, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      Loaded with flavors and colors, this sounds like a great healthy dish the whole family would enjoy.

      Reply
    17. Nicole says

      November 13, 2018 at 12:46 am

      I bet this work we’ll with chicken or steak. I would also substitute the quinoa. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    18. Olga says

      April 07, 2019 at 6:27 pm

      It looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!

      Reply

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