Vegan Bang Bang Tofu Black rice bowl with a Tahini Miso dressing

A delicious nutrient-packed meal recipe that will leave you so happy. The Black Rice is sautéed with veggies and seasonings. The tofu is crispy in a bang bang sauce. All of this is assembled with veggies and the tahini miso dressing bringing it all together. This meal is one for the books, you can even meal prep a lot of the components and keep them. What I love about bowls is you can customize them, especially the veggies and make it different every time. It’s so good, you'll want this at least once a week! Full of flavor this meal is also gluten-free and gives you a good amount of protein. All the components work so well together and it’s really easy to make! You can meal prep and keep components if you like.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 2-3 servings

Prep Time:15-20 mins

Cooking Time: 45-60 mins

Total Time: 1-1.5 hours

Ingredients: 

Rice:

• 2/3 cup black rice

• 1.5 cups water or as per rice instructions

• 1 tbsp vegetable/sesame oil

• 1/3 cup finely chopped onions

• 2-3 cloves of sliced garlic

• 2 scallions chopped; whites and greens seperated

• 1/2 tsp Salt as per taste

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 1 Bouillon cube optional

Bang Bang Tofu:

• 8-10 oz firm/extra firm tofu

• 2 tbsp Cornstarch

• 1 tsp Salt as per taste

• 1/2 tsp Pepper

• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder 

• 1-2 tbsp Bread crumbs optional

• 1.5 tbsp Mayo (Vegan Mayo)

• 1/2 tbsp Sriracha 

• 1/2 tbsp sweet chili sauce 

• 1/2 tsp Chili flakes

Tahini Miso Dressing:

• 3 tbsp Tahini 

• 3/4-1 tbsp Miso as per taste

• 3-5 tbsp Water

• 1 tbsp Ginger paste 

• 3/4 tbsp Maple syrup

• 1/2-1 tbsp Soy sauce 

• 1 tbsp Lemon

Assembly: Customize and use whatever veggies you like. These are the ones I use:

• Grilled Baby Bokchoy

• Corn

• Sauteed Mushrooms

• Grated Carrots

• Sriracha

Directions: 

1. This dish has many components that can cook along each other. To help reducing time, this is how I do it. I prep and slice all the veggies first. Then I prepare the bang bang tofu sauce and tahini miso dressing and keep them aside. Then I start cooking the rice. While the rice is cooking I start cooking the veggies. Midway to the rice cooking, I put the tofu in. They are all done in a similar time.

2. Veggies:

   1. Prepare the veggies of your choice as you like.

   2. I used raw thinly grated carrots.

   3. I used con kernels.

   4. I sliced mushrooms and sauted with a little salt.

   5. I chopped bok choy and grilled it. I have a recipe and instructions for making it here. I just grilled it and didn’t add sauce but you can do as you want.

3. Rice:

   1. In a saucepan, add 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and the whites of the scallions and saute for 3-4 mins till fragrant.

   2. Add salt, pepper, and Bouillon cube and cook for 2-3 mins.

   3. Add the rice and saute for 1-2 mins.

   4. Add water and stir well. Reduce the temperature to low and cook the pan. Let it cook for 25-35 mins giving it a stir midway. Cook till the rice is cooked through. The cooking time can differ based on the rice you use, check your rice package instructions.

   5. Once cooked, take it off the heat, let it sit covered for 4-5 mins and then its ready to use!

4. Tofu:

   1. Preheat the airfryer to 390F or the oven to 420F.

   2. Cut tofu into cubes, about 1-1.5 inches, and add to a mixing bowl.

   3. Add salt, pepper, red chili powder, corn starch, bread crumbs and toss the tofu in it.

   4. Spray oil on the cubes and cook it in the airfryer for 10-13 mins, giving it a toss midway and oven for 12-15 mins, giving it a toss midway.

   5. Once crisp take it out and let it cool for 2-3 mins.

   6. In a bowl, mix mayo (vegan), sriracha, sweet sauce, and chili flakes.

   7. Toss the tofu cubes in the sauce till coated and it’s ready!

5. Tahini Miso Dressing:

   1. In a bowl add tahini, miso, ginger paste, maple syrup, water, soy sauce, and lemon juice and whisk together.

6. Assemble:

   1. In a bowl, add black rice on one side.

   2. Put the bang bang tofu on the side.

   3. Add all vegetables you want on the side.

   4. Drizzle tahini miso dressing over everything and then sriracha over it if you want.

   5. Garnish with the remaining scallion greens.

7. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes/Tips:

• You can use white/brown rice if you like. Black rice pairs better but.

• You can prepare the dressing and keep it for 4-6 days in the fridge.

• You can add whatever veggies you like, that’s the beauty of bowls!

• Do not over-cook the rice. Cook till just cooked through.

• If you don’t like tofu, you can use paneer (not vegan).

• You can meal prep the rice and veggies from before. I feel tofu gets chewy if not made fresh so i don’t recommend meal prepping that!