Harissa tofu bowls with herbed rice, crunchy veggies and a zesty dressing is a simple, flavor-packed weeknight meal that’s very versatile! Make it precisely as-is, or combine and match veggies to make use of what you could have. Serve in a bowl, or make a wrap!

That is the kind of bowl meal that I like to whip up on busy weeknights: a number of crunchy veggies; a scrumptious dressing; and protein, like marinated beans or crisp, seasoned tofu. You mix all of it in a bowl with both cooked grains, similar to rice or quinoa, or some pasta/noodles. This mixture is so versatile and works rather well! And one of the best half is that for many of them, there’s little cooking time, so it comes collectively shortly and is totally scrumptious and satisfying. 

The flavour in these harissa tofu bowls comes from the scrumptious crisped tofu seasoned with harissa sauce and herbs, and the zesty garlic lime maple dressing. Plus, there’s all that taste from the completely different herbs and crunchy veggies, as properly.

You may convert this right into a wrap or sandwich, too, in the event you like! Different versatile meals like this embody my Vietnamese curry tofu bowl, chili garlic sandwich, gochujang sandwich, and curry banh mi. Or make into hummus bowls like my harissa cauliflower hummus bowl. These will also be served as bowls or as sandwiches or wraps. 

You may change up the veggies in these harissa tofu bowls to make use of whichever veggies you want. You may as well pair it with shredded lettuce or cabbage as a substitute of rice, if you need it to be extra like a salad. It’s simply an extremely versatile recipe, so have enjoyable, and make it your individual!

Why You’ll Love Harissa Tofu Bowls

• tremendous versatile, 30-minute meal
• crunchy veggies make this dish so FRESH and cut back cooking time!
• crisp, flavorful harissa tofu is so scrumptious!
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with straightforward soy-free choices

Components and Substitutions

• tofu – That is your protein. For those who don’t like tofu or need to make this soy-free, you need to use soy-free hen substitute, chickpeas, different beans, or chickpea tofu as a substitute.
• harissa – It is a spicy chili paste from North Africa that has a robust bell pepper taste. You may make this with spicy or delicate harissa paste. To make use of powdered harissa spice mix, combine the harissa spice with a little bit little bit of lemon juice and two tablespoons of chopped purple pepper and use. You may as well use a unique sauce or paste. You should utilize some berbere spice or cajun spice and add in some Asian chili garlic sauce to the tofu together with the spice mix for variation.
• dried herbs and spices – The tofu will get tons of taste from paprika, garlic powder, salt, and dried basil or oregano. The dressing will get a little bit warmth from crushed purple pepper flakes.
• cornstarch – Helps the tofu crisp up within the pan or within the oven.
• rice vinegar – Provides tang to the dressing. You should utilize white vinegar as a substitute, in the event you like.
• maple syrup – A contact of candy brings out the dressing flavors.
• lime – Lime juice and zest give the dressing such a tremendous taste!
• garlic – Contemporary garlic provides warmth and umami to the dressing.
• contemporary herbs – Chopped inexperienced onion and minced cilantro and basil give these harissa tofu bowls a lot freshness!
• crunchy veggies – I’m utilizing cucumber, radish, and purple onion, however be happy to make use of no matter crunchy veggies you want, like carrots, celery, lettuce or cabbage and so on.
• rice or grains – Use no matter rice or grains you want! You may as well use shredded lettuce and/or cabbage for extra of a salad bowl.
• garnishes – Garnish with lime juice and sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or crushed peanuts.

The best way to Make Harissa Tofu Bowls

Press the tofu, in the event you haven’t already, after which tear into bite-sized items. For those who don’t need to make them into natural shapes, you can even dice them into 1” cubes. Add to a bowl, add the harissa sauce, and toss properly to coat.

Then combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and cornstarch in a small bowl, and sprinkle it everywhere in the tofu, tossing properly to coat. Then, you possibly can bake, pan fry, or grill this tofu. 

To pan fry or grill: Warmth a skillet or grill over medium-high warmth, and add the teaspoon of oil. As soon as the oil is scorching, add the tofu, unfold it out evenly, then cook dinner till a lot of the tofu is darker in shade and crisp, flipping each 2 to three minutes, then take away from the skillet. 

To bake: Add the teaspoon of oil to the tofu, toss properly to coat, then unfold the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Add all the dressing substances to a bowl. Combine rather well, and put aside.

Slice the inexperienced onion and chop up the basil and cilantro finely, together with the cilantro stems. Slice your crunchy veggies, in the event you haven’t already, as properly.

Add half of the dressing to the cooked rice together with half of the herbs, tossing properly. Style and alter the flavour, including extra salt, if wanted. For extra tang, add in additional lime juice.

Add the rice combination to your serving bowls and high with a beneficiant serving of the crunchy veggies. High along with your harissa tofu after which add a drizzle of the remaining dressing and the remaining chopped herbs. Garnish with lime juice and sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or crushed peanuts and serve. 

What to Serve with Harissa Tofu

That is actually an entire meal by itself, however you possibly can positively serve it with extras, in the event you like! For those who make this as a salad and need to do a soup-and-salad combo, my West African peanut lentil soup goes nice with this. You may as well serve with a facet of Atakilt Wat and even use this rather than or along with the crunchy veggies.