Forget takeout, because this Chinese BBQ Tofu Bowl will crush all your cravings.
Hey there, Kat here! Sharing a little bit about why we made this recipe. Growing up, Chinese food was a big staple in my home. Most of my family lived in Toronto, so we took frequent trips to the city. Nine times out of ten we found ourselves in Chinatown sitting around a big round table sharing a bunch of different dishes, including fried noodles, fried rice, general tso and of course char siu. It became a family routine really. If we found ourselves downtown we’d always go to the same Chinese restaurant, sit at the same table and enjoy a delicious feast of food. Chinese food truly is a family thing – so much so we even had it for Christmas dinner this year.
What is Char Siu?
My personal favourite dish that I always asked for was char siu – hence the theme of today’s recipe. Char Siu also know as Chinese BBQ is a popular way to flavour and prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine. IT was my personal favourite and one of those dishes I miss from time to time. That’s why I set out to find a vegan version of the sauce and make a delicious bowl and we found it! We brought the same delicious flavours to one of our new favourite proteins – tofu!
After many labels read we finally found a vegan friendly version of the char siu sauce and while it’s not exact, it’s pretty darn close. Heads up, it may take a couple different stores to find a version of the sauce that’s vegan but there are some out there. The key ingredients that we noticed to watch out for were honey and some had fish sauce. We suggest checking out a Asian market, that’s where Kat found ours!
So now we’re saying forget takeout, because this Chinese BBQ Tofu Bowl comes together quickly and without much mess!
Ingredients
Char Siu Tofu
- 33 g (1/4 cup) + 2 tbsp char siu sauce, divided
- 120 mL water
- 1 block tofu
- 2 cups brown rice, cooked (or as much as you'd like to serve with)
- 2 sprigs green onions
- 1 carrot, ribboned
- 250 g chinese broccoli, steamed
Instructions
- Press tofu until you get most of the moisture out and slice into two 1/2" steaks.
- Mix water and 2 tbsp char siu into a marinade and pour over tofu steaks. Marinade tofu for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Bake tofu on a lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Cook rice in a a rice cooker.
- While the tofu cooks steam the Chinese broccoli and sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside.
- When tofu is baked, brush on some of the remaining char siu sauce and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Once finished, lightly brush with just a little bit more sauce. Set aside to rest.
- Fluff up the cooked rice and place in a bowl. Top with carrots, chinese broccoli, sliced char siu tofu and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve.
