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.
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:
- 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).
- 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.
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:
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Korean BBQ Tofu Bowls
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
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
georgie @ georgieeats says
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
Courtney says
You’re welcome! It’s a staple in our house! I hope you love it as much as we do. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Emily Meyer says
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.
Cliona Keane says
This looks packed with flavour! Love how colourful it is too!
Tayler Ross says
I love all of these bright and colorful ingredients! The perfect meal!
Annemarie says
I love all the colors in this. It looks so flavorful and delicious!
Ellen says
If it tastes as good as it looks I'll be in heaven!
Karyl Henry says
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
Daniela says
I love spicy food, so these Korean tofu bowls are right up my alley. I also love that they are vegan and dairy free!
Kiki Johnson says
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 !
Anne says
I love this bowl! So many delicious and healthy ingredients! I bet it's bursting with flavor
Leslie Haasch says
I will rarely eat tofu, but the way you've prepared it looks irresistible.
Eileen Kelly says
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!
Heather says
Wow.. so bright and colorful!! I love how easy this is to bring together and such an awesome blend of flavors.. looks amazing!
Natalie says
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!
Jacque Hastert says
This dish looks truly amazing. It would be perfect for Meatless Mondays or just when you're wanting a dish loaded with authentic flavors.
Des says
Loaded with flavors and colors, this sounds like a great healthy dish the whole family would enjoy.
Nicole says
I bet this work we’ll with chicken or steak. I would also substitute the quinoa. Thanks for sharing.
Olga says
It looks perfect and tasty! Can’t wait to have this anytime of the day, love it!