Name: Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce (32g // vegetarian oyster sauce); 1.5 tbsp hoisin sauce (24g); 3 tbsp soy sauce (45g); 1 tbsp mirin or rice vinegar (15g); 1 tsp sugar (4g); 1 tsp sesame oil (5g); 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu (400g // frozen and defrosted)*; 1 tsp sambal oelek, optional; 3 garlic cloves, minced (9g); 1 small onion, diced (100g); sesame seeds, for garnish; scallions, for garnish

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Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls in a white bowl landscape photo

Asian Tofu "Beef" Bowls are a meal prep / weeknight dinner life saver! Ground Tofu Crumbles that's incredibly easy and made in snap. Serve it over rice and vegetables for a healthy high protein vegan meal.

I asked you guys what you wanted to see more of in 2020 and the most popular responses were:

(east) asian recipes
tofu and tempeh recipes
high protein vegan meals
easy meal prep ideas

Well hallelujah, I think todays recipe covers all 4 categories. Asian flavours, check. Tofu, check. High protein, check. EASY meal prep, CHECK.

Ingredients in Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls

This idea of crumbled tofu came to mind after meal prepping my Vegan Mapo Tofu recipe where I used crumbled extra firm tofu as my ground 'beef'.

The texture is incredibly similar to beef crumbles(take it from my carnivore boyfriend that said it).

Shout outs to my grandma that knows how to combine incredible chinese flavours. I gave her a call and her favourite combo calls for: oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

For a vegan version, you'll need some vegetarian oyster sauce (AKA Mushroom Sauce), hoisin sauce, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sesame oil. If you like a bit of spice, add in some sambal oelek or chili bean sauce. You can find all of these ingredients in most grocery stores but defiantly at your local asian market.

step by step how to make ground beef with tofu

How to Make Vegan Tofu Crumbles into Ground Beef

The process is very similar to my Mapo Tofu and Vegan Tantanmen recipe. It's incredibly easy and takes under 15 minutes to make!

Mix the sauce.
Fry the onions and garlic.
Crumble in the tofu and let it cook.
Add the sauce and cook- let it brown up a bit. DONE.

high protein meal prep vegan beef crumbles in meal prep container

Easy, huh? And you know whats even better? When you have left overs or you make this for meal prep. Just store it in some meal prep container and it'll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Then all you have to do is microwave it for 1 minute and bam, you have a pretty impressive 2 minute high protein vegan meal on the table.

asian ground tofu crumbles over rice close up

Oh, by the way, you could (should) totally pair this meal with a side of vegetables. What I like to do it to use the same pan (with the left over sauce left on the pan) and stir fry some vegetables like zucchini and carrots and mix it in the rice bowl.

Crunchy carrots, tender zucchini, chewy tofu and fluffy rice- texture party!

I hope (please do) add this to your next meal prep list or save it for emergency nights when you need a quick speedy meal. 😉

More Easy Tofu Recipes to Try!

vegan beef crumbles over rice in a bowl close up

If you recreate this Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

Author: Lisa Kitahara
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Entree
Method: Stove top
Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, asian

Ingredients

Scale

Sauce

2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce (32g // vegetarian oyster sauce)
1.5 tbsp hoisin sauce (24g)
3 tbsp soy sauce (45g)
1 tbsp mirin or rice vinegar (15g)
1 tsp sugar (4g)
1 tsp sesame oil (5g)
½ tsp black pepper
1 14 oz block extra firm tofu (400g // frozen and defrosted)*
1 tsp sambal oelek, optional

Tofu "Beef"

3 garlic cloves, minced (9g)
1 small onion, diced (100g)
sesame seeds, for garnish
scallions, for garnish

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Instructions

Mix all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the tofu.
Fry onions and garlic in a large pan or wok over medium high heat until browned (1 minute).
Crumble in the tofu and fry for 1 minute to allow excess liquid to evaporate.
Pour in the sauce and cook for another 3-4 minute until the tofu has absorbed the sauce. Fry for another 2-3 minute to get more browning and crisp tofu bits.
Serve immediately over rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Notes

After the tofu has defrosted, squeeze out any excess liquid. I like to put a strainer under so it catches any tofu that might have crumbled off. You can also place it between dish towels for 3-5 minutes. If you don't have frozen tofu prepared, simply just press the tofu between two dish towels with a heavy object on top (or use a tofu press) for 15-30 minutes. The longer you press it for, the less time you have to cook it.
Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 218g
Sugar: 5.8g
Sodium: 1071mg
Fat: 10.8g
Saturated Fat: 1.9g
Unsaturated Fat: 6gg
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 13.7g
Fiber: 1.08g
Protein: 17.38
Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: asian tofu bowls, asian mock beef, tofu crumbles, ground tofu

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

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East Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls

Ingredients in Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls

How to Make Vegan Tofu Crumbles into Ground Beef

More Easy Tofu Recipes to Try!