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.
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.
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.
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 Mapo Tofu
- Sticky Lemon Tofu (Date Sweetened)
- Air Fryer Crispy Tofu
- Vegan Tofu Poke Bowl
- Cold Tofu Spicy Chili
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
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.
- 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
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
- 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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Chelsea says
I've been craving something just like this! Can't wait to try it out.
★★★★★
Julie says
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.
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Julie,
Thanks for sharing, I'm so happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Chloe says
So good and easy to make!
★★★★★
Eva says
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.
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
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!!
Steph says
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!
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Steph!
Right?! Tofu is amazing- so glad you liked it!
Anaya says
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.
Lisa Kitahara says
Thank you!
Olivia says
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!
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Oh that sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, so glad you enjoyed 🙂
Wanda Mita says
This was so delicious! Definitely a keeper and will add to the weekly dinner rotation!
Thank you!
★★★★★