We are – maybe like you – big fans of Buddha or Poke Bowls.
Basically, you can eat them every day and still discover completely new tastes and nutrients every day. Today we show you a way to put crispy tofu in a tropical bowl. The Tofu Katsu Bowl is full of good nutrients, fresh, fruity and somehow makes you happy.
The high proportion of vegetables, whether raw or cooked, is characteristic of the well-known Buddha Bowls. In addition, fruity ingredients should not be missing, as well as a delicious sauce, so that the Buddha Bowl does not become a dry thing. Good fats also play a role. The coconut flakes, with their high proportion of saturated fatty acids, do not fit in quite as positively here. But we will use very few of them in the recipe. If you pay attention to the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, cashew nuts are a much better choice in your bowl.
Of course, we haven’t forgotten the combination of these basic ingredients in our recipe, so you’ll find mango and a simple mango dressing alongside tomatoes and lettuce in our Tofu Katsu Bowl.
The basis is always a long-chain carbohydrate such as whole grain rice, couscous, millet or similar. For a broad spectrum of amino acids, quinoa is a perfect addition to any bowl. We used it for today’s bowl. As I said, you can also choose any other filling side dish. Glass noodles or sweet potatoes work just as well. Glass noodles, for example, are a great Asian variant with a peanut sauce and edamame.
The star of today’s Tofu Katsu Bowl is the tofu. This is tofu, which we express well, season well and then roll in also well-seasoned breading. In general, the components of the breading can not be seasoned enough. The tofu absorbs the taste (that’s why we dry it beforehand) and then gets a nice, hearty crust. Of course, you can also use it as a protein-rich component for all other dishes. We find it perfectly combined with the fruitiness of the mango in our Tofu Katsu Bowl.
If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs or don’t like the grated coconut in the crunchy layer, you can use plain breadcrumbs. We always prefer the whole grain ones. But a breading of crumbled cornflakes also works well here and simply offers a nice possibility.
Vegan Tofu Katsu bowl with quinoa
Ingredients
Bowl basic ingredients:
- 50 g quinoa
- 60 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful of lettuce leaves
- ½ mango
- cress to taste
- 10 g coconut flakes
For the tofu katsu:
- 200 g tofu firm
- 180 ml plant drink
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 40 g panko breadcrumbs
- 10 g grated coconut
Mango Dressing:
- ½ mango (approx. 120g)
- ½ lemon (juice and zest)
- Chili flakes (to taste)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- agave syrup (if necessary)
- some water (if necessary)
Instructions
- First cook the quinoa according to package directions. Be sure to rinse it off with warm water and let it drain in a colander. Then it loses its bitter substances and later does not taste bitter.
- Wash and halve the tomatoes.
- Wash the lettuce, drain and tear into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash and peel the mango and for the dressing place one half in rough chunks in a tall container. The other half goes on the bowl as a topping. For this purpose, it is cut into cubes and set aside.
Tofu Katsu:
- Drain the tofu and cut into two thin “snips” in the middle. Place the two pieces on kitchen paper and dry well.
- Then stir together a kind of dough made of plant drink, 2 tbsp flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sweet and smoked paprika powder.
- In a second flat plate, mix 2 tbsp flour with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sweet and smoked paprika powder.
- Another flat plate is needed for the actual breading. Mix the panko breadcrumbs with grated coconut.
- Place and heat a pan with enough oil.
- First put the pieces of tofu in the flour mixture, then in the slightly more liquid dough and finally in the breading before they go into the pan with the hot oil.
- Fry on both sides until desired brown and drain on paper towels.
Mango Dressing:
- The mango is now pureed in the container and seasoned with lemon juice, zest, chili and salt to your taste. Depending on how sweet the mango is, add some agave syrup or other sweeteners. For consistency, stir in some water or lemon juice if necessary.
arrange the bowl:
- To serve, the warm quinoa is poured into a bowl. The salad is then placed in a corner. Next to the tomato halves and the mango pieces.
- Cut the tofu katsu into strips and arrange on top.
- As a topping, spread the cress over the bowl, spread the mango dressing over everything and sprinkle a few coconut flakes on top.
Notes
Pro Tip:
If you like it extra crispy, you can bread the tofu a second time for our Tofu Katsu Bowl. After the first round, put the breaded tofu in the plant drink-flour mixture and roll it again in the panko-coconut breading.
