Harissa Tofu Bowls (half-hour!)

Harissa tofu bowls with herbed rice, crunchy veggies and a zesty dressing is a simple, flavor-packed weeknight meal that’s very versatile! Make it precisely as-is, or combine and match veggies to make use of what you’ve got. Serve in a bowl, or make a wrap!

That is the kind of bowl meal that I like to whip up on busy weeknights: numerous crunchy veggies; a scrumptious dressing; and protein, like marinated beans or crisp, seasoned tofu. You mix all of it in a bowl with both cooked grains, akin to rice or quinoa, or some pasta/noodles. This mix is so versatile and works rather well! And the most effective half is that for many of them, there’s little cooking time, so it comes collectively rapidly and is totally scrumptious and satisfying. 

The flavour in these harissa tofu bowls comes from the scrumptious crisped tofu seasoned with harissa sauce and herbs, and the zesty garlic lime maple dressing. Plus, there’s all that taste from the completely different herbs and crunchy veggies, as nicely.

You possibly can convert this right into a wrap or sandwich, too, for those who like! Different versatile meals like this embrace my Vietnamese curry tofu bowl, chili garlic sandwich, gochujang sandwich, and curry banh mi. Or make into hummus bowls like my harissa cauliflower hummus bowl. These can be served as bowls or as sandwiches or wraps. 

You possibly can change up the veggies in these harissa tofu bowls to make use of whichever veggies you want. You may as well pair it with shredded lettuce or cabbage as a substitute of rice, if you would like it to be extra like a salad. It’s simply an extremely versatile recipe, so have enjoyable, and make it your personal!

Why You’ll Love Harissa Tofu Bowls

• tremendous versatile, 30-minute meal
• crunchy veggies make this dish so FRESH and scale back cooking time!
• crisp, flavorful harissa tofu is so scrumptious!
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with straightforward soy-free choices

Components and Substitutions

• tofu – That is your protein. Should you don’t like tofu or need to make this soy-free, you should use soy-free hen substitute, chickpeas, different beans, or chickpea tofu as a substitute.
• harissa – This can be a spicy chili paste from North Africa that has a powerful bell pepper taste. You may make this with spicy or delicate harissa paste. To make use of powdered harissa spice mix, combine the harissa spice with just a little little bit of lemon juice and two tablespoons of chopped purple pepper and use. You may as well use a unique sauce or paste. You should use some berbere spice or cajun spice and add in some Asian chili garlic sauce to the tofu together with the spice mix for variation.
• dried herbs and spices – The tofu will get tons of taste from paprika, garlic powder, salt, and dried basil or oregano. The dressing will get just a little warmth from crushed purple pepper flakes.
• cornstarch – Helps the tofu crisp up within the pan or within the oven.
• rice vinegar – Provides tang to the dressing. You should use white vinegar as a substitute, for those who like.
• maple syrup – A contact of candy brings out the dressing flavors.
• lime – Lime juice and zest give the dressing such a tremendous taste!
• garlic – Contemporary garlic provides warmth and umami to the dressing.
• contemporary herbs – Chopped inexperienced onion and minced cilantro and basil give these harissa tofu bowls a lot freshness!
• crunchy veggies – I’m utilizing cucumber, radish, and purple onion, however be happy to make use of no matter crunchy veggies you want, like carrots, celery, lettuce or cabbage and many others.
• rice or grains – Use no matter rice or grains you want! You may as well use shredded lettuce and/or cabbage for extra of a salad bowl.
• garnishes – Garnish with lime juice and sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or crushed peanuts.

Methods to Make Harissa Tofu Bowls

Press the tofu, for those who haven’t already, after which tear into bite-sized items. Should you don’t need to make them into natural shapes, you may also dice them into 1” cubes. Add to a bowl, add the harissa sauce, and toss nicely to coat.

Then combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and sprinkle it all around the tofu, tossing nicely to coat. Then, you may bake, pan fry, or grill this tofu. 

To pan fry or grill: Warmth a skillet or grill over medium-high warmth, and add the teaspoon of oil. As soon as the oil is scorching, add the tofu, unfold it out evenly, then prepare dinner till a lot of the tofu is darker in coloration and crisp, flipping each 2 to three minutes, then take away from the skillet. 

To bake: Add the teaspoon of oil to the tofu, toss nicely to coat, then unfold the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Add all the dressing substances to a bowl. Combine rather well, and put aside.

Slice the inexperienced onion and chop up the basil and cilantro finely, together with the cilantro stems. Slice your crunchy veggies, for those who haven’t already, as nicely.

Add half of the dressing to the cooked rice together with half of the herbs, tossing nicely. Style and alter the flavour, including extra salt, if wanted. For extra tang, add in further lime juice.

Add the rice combination to your serving bowls and high with a beneficiant serving of the crunchy veggies. High along with your harissa tofu after which add a drizzle of the remaining dressing and the remaining chopped herbs. Garnish with lime juice and sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or crushed peanuts and serve. 

What to Serve with Harissa Tofu

That is actually an entire meal by itself, however you may positively serve it with extras, for those who like! Should you make this as a salad and need to do a soup-and-salad combo, my West African peanut lentil soup goes nice with this. You may as well serve with a facet of Atakilt Wat and even use this instead of or along with the crunchy veggies.