What inspired this easy vegan tofu recipe? Well, a couple weeks ago, I had a delicious, veganized Indian dish called Kashmiri Rogan Josh from the amazing blog Holy Cow, by Vaishali. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on guajillo chili peppers subtle flavor, slightly bitter and spicy, and I wanted to find a way to incorporate them more into my cooking. Eventually, the result was this easy vegan tofu recipe that you see here: a chili bowl, to be more precise.
Bowls are a special medium. A successful one is where all the flavors can mix and intermingle successfully, and with each bite, you should be able to taste every layer of ingredient harmoniously. The base and body, brown rice. The peppers and bok choy, the veg and juicy center. The crispy tofu, a warm and creamy morsel. The chili sauce, the element that binds everything together. And the avocado and pepita, a pleasing texture.
The sauce, as noted above, is the most important part of this dish. You want something creamy and complimentary to everything else, but also something that isn’t too thick and isn’t too thin, either. So raw cashews were the obvious choice for this sauce in particular. Everybody knows that cashews are rich and creamy and flavorful, but not everybody knows that they can also make rich and creamy and flavorful sauces, when soaked in hot water and then blended up. Discovering this property of raw cashews (not roasted) opened an entire array of new recipes to explore. Mastering this simple technique of soaking cashews and using them in sauces will astound your taste buds and increase your culinary capabilities within the realm of plant-based cooking.
Lastly, bok choy (baby bok choy in this case) is a delicate Chinese cabbage that can be prepared in a variety of ways: boiled, baked, grilled, steamed. They really are amazing little cruciforms that have a unique shape and flavor. They cook pretty quickly, so keep an eye on them when they’re in that oven. The other vegetables in this recipe are the red bells and jalapeños, two of my favorite peppers. Little more to say than they are just a great inclusion into any dish, because they have distinct flavors and bright colors.
So if you’re feeling for a hearty, delicious bowl of amazingness, give this easy vegan tofu recipe a try! You won’t regret it.
Vegan Guajillo Chili Bowl with Tofu, Bok Choy and Peppers
Equipment
- Blender
- Oven
- Baking Sheet w/Parchment or Silicon Baking Mat
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 dried Guajillo chilis, lightly toasted
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes
- 1 block of extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes
- Juice from 2 limes, or to taste
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ – 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Some water, (around ¼ – ½ cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 jalapeño peppers, cut into thin strips
- 6 – 7 heads of baby bok choy, each stem halved
- Olive oil, (about 2 tablespoons)
- Salt and pepper
Garnish
- ½ cup Brown rice, as a base for each bowl
- Pepitas, pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- 1 Avocado, for garnish
Instructions
- Toast the dried guajillo chilis in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they darken a bit.
- In the meanwhile, cut the tofu into slabs and press for 30 minutes. Also, soak the cashews for the same amount of time in hot water.
- Combine the lime juice, orange juice, sriracha, garlic, cumin, chili powder and salt in a medium-sized baking dish. After your tofu is doing pressing, cut it into medium cubes and marinade for about 15 – 30 minutes, agitating frequently.
- Prepare the peppers and bok choy, brushing lightly with oil and sprinkling with salt. Arrange them on a prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment or a silicon baking mat) with the oven preheated to 450°F.
- Remove the tofu from the marinade, and then drain in a colander over a bowl, catching the liquid. In a blender, combine the remaining marinade, soaked cashews (drained), and toasted guajillo chilis (lightly chopped). Blend, and add a bit of water to thin it out to your preferred consistency. Also during this time, prepare the brown rice (buy instant, microwavable brown rice for a quicker prep time).
- Now, begin roasting the peppers and bok choy in the oven. The bok choy will take about 10 minutes, and the peppers about 12 – 15 minutes. Turn occasionally with a fork. Remove bok choy from the oven first when it's tender and cover to keep warm.
- At the same time, in a skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil, pan fry the tofu until each side is golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes total.
- Lastly, over a bed of brown rice, lay the peppers down, then the tofu, and spoon some guajillo chili sauce over the top, followed by some pepitas and sliced avocado.
Nutrition
An Easy Vegan Tofu Recipe
I hope you enjoyed this easy vegan tofu recipe. If you did, leave me a rating and a comment before you go.
Also, check out this vegan orange “chicken” recipe that also uses tofu, or this orange tofu poke bowl – another delicious one-dish meal!
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
This was delicious! I had a spare dried chili in my pantry and wanted to make something with it – this was perfect.
Thank you, Amy – so happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
This was unusual and delicious. My husband said so about 10 times when we we’re eating it!
Thank you, Padma! Glad you enjoyed it and its unusual goodness :-]