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East Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls

January 17, 2020 By Lisa Kitahara 13 Comments

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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.

asian ground tofu crumbles over rice

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.

asian vegan beef crumbles ingredients

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!

  1. Mix the sauce.
  2. Fry the onions and garlic.
  3. Crumble in the tofu and let it cook.
  4. 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. 😉

vegan beef crumbles over rice

More Easy Tofu Recipes to Try!

  • Vegan Mapo Tofu
  • Sticky Lemon Tofu (Date Sweetened)
  • Air Fryer Crispy Tofu
  • Vegan Tofu Poke Bowl
  • Cold Tofu Spicy Chili
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!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!

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asian ground tofu crumbles over rice

Asian Tofu 'Beef' Bowls


★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Total Time: 13 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
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Description

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.


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

Instructions

  1. Mix all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the tofu. 
  2. Fry onions and garlic in a large pan or wok over medium high heat until browned (1 minute). 
  3. Crumble in the tofu and fry for 1 minute to allow excess liquid to evaporate. 
  4. 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. 
  5. 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). 
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, asian

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

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @Okonomikitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #okonomikitchen

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

asian tofu beef bowls pinterest graphic

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Chelsea says

    January 21, 2020 at 2:08 am

    I've been craving something just like this! Can't wait to try it out.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Julie says

    February 18, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    Subbed the soy sauce for kecap manis and omitted the hoisin since kecap manis is sweet. Still turned out really good, great meal prep recipe! The sambal really adds a nice kick of spice into it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      February 18, 2020 at 11:24 pm

      Hi Julie,
      Thanks for sharing, I'm so happy you enjoyed! 🙂

      Reply
      • Chloe says

        March 27, 2021 at 9:17 pm

        So good and easy to make!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  3. Eva says

    February 22, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    Delicious! My bf who isn’t vegan at all did not miss beef with this bowl. Super flavorful and authentic. I added some plantains on the side to add some sweetness- a Latin twist.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      February 23, 2020 at 11:38 pm

      Hi Eva! My boyfriend said the same thing haha, tofu is such an amazing ingredient. Plantains with it?! Sounds so good I'll have to try that!!

      Reply
  4. Steph says

    February 22, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    This was lush! Sometimes I can't believe how versatile tofu is haha, the texture was spot on crumbled meat and the flavour was like getting something from a takeaway. 😍 Loved it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      February 23, 2020 at 11:38 pm

      Hi Steph!
      Right?! Tofu is amazing- so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Anaya says

    March 23, 2020 at 9:13 am

    Looks yummy! This recipe looks super delicious. Surely gonna try this recipe tonight for dinner. Hope it turns out to be well. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      March 30, 2020 at 4:10 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Olivia says

    March 29, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    Loved all the flavors on this dish! I used TVP rehdryated in not-beef bouillon cubes, as well as a drizzle of gochujang, and it was excellent. Thanks for sharing and stay safe/optimistic!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      March 30, 2020 at 4:16 am

      Oh that sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, so glad you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  7. Wanda Mita says

    June 19, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    This was so delicious! Definitely a keeper and will add to the weekly dinner rotation!
    Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Lisa. Welcome to Okonomi Kitchen! Here you'll find delicious vegan recipes that are healthy, simple & easy to make.
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