This is a dish that is a combination of deep-fried tofu balls and fragrant and healthy pieces of sweet chili.
A dish that Apronese believes everyone will like, because it is colorful, beautiful and delicious and plentiful. Nutrients, vegetarians or vegans can all use this dish.
The recipe is also quite simple, the ingredients are easy to find and especially the preparation time is not too long, not complicated, so any housewife can do it well from the first time.
Sweet Chili Tofu Bowls
Sweet Chili Sauce: What Is It?
In most cases, sweet chili sauce is not very hot (at least not for the majority of brands you can buy at U.S. supermarkets). It is a sweet, tangy sauce with a tangy taste.
It is one of those all-purpose sauces, perfect for dipping into and serving on just about anything. In addition to Asian markets, large grocery stores with international foods aisles, and specialty stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, you will also be able to find it fairly easily.
I can assure you that even if you are not able to locate it at your local store, you can always try making it yourself, although homemade sauces tend to be a little bit spicy when compared to the commercial ones.
I have provided you with a recipe for Easy Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce as well as a traditional Thai Sweet Chili Sauce recipe using fresh peppers from She Simmers, or a recipe for Clean Eating Thai Sweet Chili Sauce with no refined sugar from ifoodreal.
Red Bell Peppers Can Be Substituted?
The red bell peppers can be a bit expensive, so if you don’t have any, you can substitute the regular green bell peppers.
If you don’t have red bell peppers, you can use regular green bell peppers instead. Pineapples would also be wonderful in this stir fry bowl, so feel free to incorporate them.
Sweet Chili Stir Fried Tofu Bowls
This vegan sweet chili tofu bowl is a simple weeknight dinner that combines vibrant colors and flavors in a tasty, fresh dish. Perfect to prepare on a busy weeknight or for meal prepping!
Author: Beth
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz. extra firm tofu ($1.99)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil* ($0.04)
- 1 avocado ($0.97)
- 1 bell pepper (any color) ($0.99)
- 2-3 green onions ($0.17)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.25)
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce ($1.66)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional) ($0.10)
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.88)
Instructions
- In order to remove the tofu from the liquid in the package, wrap it in a clean, lint-free dishcloth or a few paper towels and press it between two plates for 30 minutes with a weight on top (see detailed instructions and photos here). The excess moisture on the tofu should be pressed out once the cubes have been cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces once the moisture has been pressed out.
- It is recommended that you season the tofu cubes with salt and sprinkle a tablespoon of cornstarch over top. Toss to coat thoroughly and repeat this procedure with the second tablespoon of cornstarch.
- The oil should be heated in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the tofu cubes and fry until golden brown and crispy on all sides, over medium heat, for approximately 10 minutes. Transfer the fried tofu to a large bowl and serve immediately.
- You will need to dice the red bell pepper and thinly slice the green onions. Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems and shred them roughly with a knife. Slice the avocado as thinly as you can.
- I like to add diced bell pepper to the bowl with the tofu after they have been fried, then pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce on top, then stir until the bell pepper and the tofu have been coated in the sauce.
- The bowls are created by first adding one cup cooked rice to the bowl, followed by adding a 1/4 cup mixture of tofu and bell peppers. Finally, throw in some slices of avocado, then top the bowl with the green onion slices, cilantro chopped, and sesame seeds.
*It is best to use light, neutral oils like peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or untoasted sesame oil.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 550.6 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 75.68 g ・ Protein: 16.05 g ・ Fat: 20.2 g ・ Sodium: 919.23 mg ・ Fiber: 6.1 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
Equipment
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Sweet Chili Stir Fried Tofu – How to Make It – Step by Step Photos
It is recommended that you start with a 14oz block of tofu that is packaged in water. Usually, the tofu comes packaged in water, so you’ll need to remove the water and press the tofu for about 30 minutes to remove the excess moisture.
You can get detailed instructions on how to press tofu by clicking over to this Sesame Tofu recipe for detailed step by step instructions.
Some of you have told me about freezing tofu and how it changes the texture a little, making it almost sponge-like, so instead of pressing it with your hands, you can just squeeze it with your hands.
In spite of the fact that it did crack a little (not bad for my very first attempt with this technique), I was able to express the liquid by squeezing it with my hands and I managed to squeeze it well enough to express the liquid.
Additionally, squeezing the block by hand also resulted in the block being a little misshapen, so I had to press it back into shape with my hands to make it more symmetrical again. The block which we have squeezed has been sliced in half after the squeezing has been completed.
As you cut the pressed tofu into 3/4 inch cubes, season with a pinch of salt, sprinkle one tbsp of cornstarch over the cubes, then toss them to coat the cubes while coating all sides with the cornstarch. Repeat this process with the second tbsp of cornstarch until all sides are coated well.
It is essential to heat one or two tablespoons of a neutral cooking oil (such as canola, vegetable, peanut, or light sesame) in a large skillet over medium heat. It was my pleasure to use my stainless steel skillet last time, but I decided to try a non-stick skillet instead.
Once hot, add the tofu and fry until golden brown and crispy on all sides. In spite of the fact that the non-stick didn’t stick as much as the stainless steel skillet, I think my last batch turned out a little crispier (which could also be because I used freezing and pressing techniques this time).
You can slice one avocado while the tofu is frying (or after frying, if you do not want to multitask), dice a red bell pepper, slice a few green onions, and remove a handful of cilantro leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop. Dice a red bell pepper, and slice a few green onions.
The fried tofu and diced bell peppers should be placed in a large bowl, along with the fried rice noodles.
Here is the sweet chili sauce that I used. I just realized that this brand is gluten-free, so I’m sure a lot of you will appreciate that it is gluten-free.
In a large bowl, combine the tofu, bell peppers, and a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sweet chili sauce, or enough to fully coat everything in the sauce. Mix well to combine.
Upon coating the tofu and bell peppers in the sauce, it’s time to put together the bowls, and we’ll start with 1 cup cooked rice, then add 1/4 of the tofu/bell pepper mixture, then a few slices of avocado, and last but not least, sprinkle green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds on top. All done!
As it turns out, these Sweet Chili Tofu Bowls were really quick and easy to make, as well as having quite a bit of flavor as well. My boyfriend, who jokingly had been joking that he didn’t want to eat tofu all week, commented, “Mmm, there are a lot of different flavors in here!
Apronese is a favorite dish of many families, because tofu and sweet pepper are both good for health, easy to find and light on the stomach, suitable for dinner for the whole family.
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