I have been craving a more Japanese-style quinoa and tofu dish for ages. I used to make ginger quinoa with tamari and white rice vinegar all of time. It's quick and easy to make and kind of fits in with this bowl fad that I've kind of been ignoring because I really just make these types of things, anyway!
There's been this new fad of bowls. Ginger bowls. Quinoa bowls. Superfood bowls. It's part of this fast food health craze. And I can't say that I'm entirely opposed to it. Its been slowly growing over the last decade in particular. I remember in college right next to the main MAX stop (Portland's light rail system), there was some fast food restaurant that was always advertising some kind of chia seed, tofu, superfood Buddha bowl that everyone spent a fortune on!
There really is something to packing all of your daily nutrients into a quick and easy meal that's both filling and delicious. I make these kinds of dishes all of the time. Not because of the fad nature of them, but because they actually are delicious... And easy to make... And incredibly cheap to make! I buy quinoa, lentils, and rice in bulk. Potatoes and sweet potatoes cost next-to-nothing. These kinds of bowls are also jam packed with nutrients and fibre, to keep you full and refreshed all day.
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Variations of Quinoa w/ Ginger, Tofu, & Sprouts
I make these kinds of bowls all of the time. From quinoa to lentils, rice, and other grains and legumes.
This Japanese-style ginger quinoa combines tofu, potatoes, tamari, and rice vinegar for a quick and easy bowl that's delicious and filling. Top with a little bit of bean sprouts and this is one of my favorite meals this winter! It's warm and hearty with a bit of nuttiness from the quinoa and a dash of acidity from the tamari and rice vinegar. I suspect that I will be recreating this dish quite a bit this season!
I used Roasted Garlic in this recipe. You can easily substitute 1 clove unroasted garlic. Otherwise, this recipe simply calls for garlic and oil, a garlic roaster or aluminum foil, and takes about an hour.
I also very much enjoy the taste of ginger, but I can't stand the stringiness of it! You can painstakingly mince or zest it and then pull out the excess stringy pieces. I did this for years and it works, but not 100%!Now, I've just taken to adding it to a Vitamix with a cup or two of water, pulverizing for a minute or two, letting it sit until the water smells pungently of ginger, and then straining out the rest of the ginger pieces. Then, just use the ginger water as your water in the quinoa.
Cook Quinoa
Add garlic, onion, ginger, potato, quinoa, and water to a rice cooker.
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes. Alternatively you can simmer on the stove. Add all of the ingredients to a pot, bring uncovered to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and quinoa are tender. Stir occasionally and test often. Turn off heat, add lid, and let sit another 5-10 minutes.
Fry Tofu
While the quinoa is cooking, drain the water out of the tofu and cut into cubes.
Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying at high temperatures, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Finish Quinoa
When the quinoa is fully cooked, add tofu, rice vinegar, and tamari. Different brand of vinegar and tamari will have vastly different tastes. I recommend starting with a couple of tablespoons and then building up. These flavors will also seep in over time and become stronger the longer that it sits. So make sure not to add too much! Particularly if you aren't serving right away.
Fluff with a wooden spoon and serve with sprouts.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil to fluff! It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
This recipe specifically doesn't add salt because the saltiness of tamari and vinegar is typically more than enough! But feel free to add any salt, pepper, or other spice of choice. Particularly if you add less tamari or vinegar than I did!
While quinoa is not rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. For more tips and tricks to rice cooker quinoa, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Quinoa, including a stovetop version if you don't have or don't want to use a rice cooker.
I also tend to prefer tamari over soy sauce. They're both made from fermented soy and a lot of recipes use them interchangeably. Tamari tends to have a richer flavor and less salt content. It also tends to be gluten free.
For a more in-depth article on preparing tofu, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Fried Tofu. High heat oil and a precise cooking temperature are important to keep the tofu from drying out or burning.
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