Sticky crispy tofu rice bowls
Golden tofu with crackly edges in a sweet, garlicky glaze, the dinner that finally makes tofu make sense.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $3.05 a serving
- 860 calories
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 860 calories, 41 g protein, 108 g carbs and 30 g fat, and costs about $3.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No maple syrup? Honey works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No sriracha? Hot sauce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap the drained tofu in a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels and set something heavy on top, like a pan with a can in it, for 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Pressing squeezes out water so the tofu can get crispy. Even 5 minutes helps if you’re short on time.Meanwhile, the rice in a strainer, then put it in a small with the water and salt and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and to low. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
While the rice cooks, the garlic, the ginger, and them in a small bowl with the soy sauce, maple syrup and rice vinegar.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
When the rice timer goes off, take the pan off the heat, scatter the frozen edamame over the rice, and put the lid right back on.
Dolly’s tip: The trapped steam warms the edamame and keeps the rice hot while you cook the tofu.Cut the tofu into 1-inch , put them in a bowl with the cornstarch, and gently until every piece is coated.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat until it , then add the tofu in one layer with space between the pieces.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium-high heat
Cook without moving for 3 to 4 minutes, until underneath, then turn the pieces and keep going until on most sides, about 12 minutes total.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 12 min
Dolly’s tip: It sticks at first. Once the crust forms it lets go on its own, so wait before you turn it.Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
to medium, pour in the sauce, and for about 1 minute, until it bubbles into a sticky .
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Glaze. A glaze is a thin, glossy coating, often sweet, brushed or spooned over food near the end. It adds shine and flavor, and because it has sugar, it can burn quickly.
How you’ll know: The food looks shiny and evenly coated, sticky at the edges but not blackened.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Maple burns fast in a hot pan, so keep it moving and stop as soon as it’s sticky.Fluff the rice and edamame with a fork, spoon into bowls, and top with the tofu, green onions, sesame seeds and a little sriracha.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
