Teriyaki Tofu Bowl 🥬🍜

In my quest to feed my newly vegetarian college age daughter, I’ve been experimenting with these tofu bowl situations. She’s not the biggest vegetable eater so it’s not the easiest to find vegetarian meals for her. But I do love a culinary challenge. And yay; she likes bok choy!

These bowls are fun to make. Healthy and clean with a nice serving of tofu as the protein. It is pretty the way the components are nestled next to each other, especially with that hit of bright green. Color is hugely important in cooking and not just visually. Each color contains different vitamins and nutrients. Thank you, Mother Nature! Heads up with this one: I can’t give you exact measurements. I’m sorry, I know that’s annoying unless you’re like me and measure with your gut and eyes. The bright side is that you really can’t get this wrong. I will try to throw some in as I type (how’s that for honesty?).

Ingredients:

One pack extra firm tofu cut into inch and a half pieces. She likes it cut but you could just cook the whole thing and serve that one large piece. Tofu baffles me as an entity.

Four heads baby bok choy cut in half lengthwise. Before slicing lengthwise, cut the bottom of each piece off horizontally. You’ll notice that it looks like a pretty rosette! Def use those for garnish. They’re way too cute to dispose of. You can even steam them for a few minutes to make the garnish more edible.

Brown rice noodles cooked to package directions.

Quality teriyaki sauce

Brown rice vinegar

Toasted sesame oil, hot chili sesame oil or a pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional; my daughter likes it spicy)

Mirin which is Asian rice cooking wine, and toasted sesame seeds.

Optional garlic powder.

Place the tofu pieces in a bowl. Drizzle generously with teriyaki sauce (three tbsp), a tbsp of the sesame oil, and a half tsp or a whole tsp of the hot chili sesame oil or a pinch of the red pepper flakes, taste depending. I also add a nice sprinkling of garlic powder. Shake the bowl gently to distribute the sauce. Add more if needed to make your marinade. Set aside turning once gently.

Prepare rice noodles. These cook fast. Rinse with cold water when done. Put in a medium to large bowl that can be your serving bowl too. I just drizzle the noodles with maybe 4 tbsp teriyaki sauce, probably two tbsp brown rice vinegar, two tbsp sesame oil and mix. You could combine these in a small bowl before pouring on the noodles. Yeah, do that . Let the noodles marinate while you cook the tofu.

Heat half olive and half sesame oil in a large pan with a lid. Add each tofu piece giving them a drop of breathing room. Pour the marinade on top. Cover with lid for several minutes to steam. Remove lid and finish this uncovered. We are aiming for a nice brown glaze. Keep your Mirin wine on hand. This is a fabulous product that’s essential for Asian cooking. As the pan gets dry deglaze it with Mirin. Start with a tbsp. Shake pan so pieces don’t stick. Cook five minutes on each side flipping very gently. I use two spoons. Sauté bok choy in a tbsp of sesame oil until soft, just a couple minutes. Arrange each component next to the rice noodles. Sprinkle with a generous amount of sesame seeds. Chopsticks 🥢 add to the fun, yet I myself can’t seem to figure out how to use them. Seriously. I know how to scoop a bagel though 🥯.