Sticky Tofu Quinoa Bowl

This easy 20-minute sticky tofu quinoa bowl is my favourite and go-to tofu recipes – especially for tofu skeptics! The bowl is made up of quinoa, a sticky sesame tofu, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and red onion and makes the perfect lunch or dinner. It’s packed with delicious plant-based foods and is guaranteed to become one of your new favourite ways to make tofu.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quinoa
• 1 block extra-firm tofu (about 350g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• 2 tbsp white flour (or cornstarch for gluten-free)
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

Sticky Sauce

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (about 1/4 tsp powdered ginger, optional)

Equipment

• Non-stick frying pan
• Small pot

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions (I use 2/3 cup dried quinoa to make 2 cups of cooked quinoa).
2. Cut tofu into cubes then coat with olive oil, soy sauce and flour. Fry at medium heat in a non-stick pan in 1 tbsp olive oil while preparing the sauce, flipping each piece after about 2-3 minutes. I like to use tongs to pick up a couple pieces at a time and flip them. Make sure each side of the cube gets cooked and turns brown and golden.
3. Add all the sticky sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix them together (the ginger is optional, but amazing!).
4. While the quinoa is cooking and the tofu is frying, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber and thinly slice the red onion.
5. After the tofu is golden brown, pour most of the sauce over and coat each piece. Save about 1/4 of the sauce to top the bowls.
6. Serve the tofu with the quinoa, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion, and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes:

*For a gluten-free version of this sticky sesame tofu, substitute cornstarch for white flour and tamari for soy sauce.