Asian Greens & Tofu Rice Bowls w Kimchi-Miso Sauce

A quick and nourishing bowl of goodness. Basmati rice and gingered stir fried greens all coated in a spicy & sweet dressing made with kimchi and soy sauce. I love smoked tofu and prefer it to the normal one, but any tofu needs a bit of help in the flavour department so be sure to season generously.

Tamari or Soy Sauce:

Tamari, like soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans, but unlike soy sauce, Tamari is gluten-free or contains very little wheat. Soy sauce contains wheat.

The asian greens in the picture was from my garden, but any asian green would work well. Bowl food is perfect to use with what you have in the fridge, you can use roots as well just make sure you cut them thinly enough so they can cook quickly.

Invest in a good bottle of kimchi, made well it packs just the right amount of ‘oomph’ to any dish.

Getting Ahead:

Everything, including the cooked rice can be made ahead, but the tofu is best made just before serving.

Swaps:

Instead of white basmati rice, I like to cook a batch of wild, red and brown basmati rice, I even throw a 1/2 cup of brown lentils in the mix too for extra nourishment (and fibre).

Serves 2, but can be easily doubled up to serve 4 (the sauce is enough for 4)

Serve with some extra kimchi on the side and a crunchy asian coleslaw would be nice.

A high speed blender for the dressing or you can keep it chunky by finely grating the ginger and garlic, chop the kimchi finely and mix well.

A microplane/grater that can finely grate

• oil of choice
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced in half
• 1/2 block smoked firm tofu, cut in bitesized blocks
• 1 head of pak choi/bok choy, stems & leaves roughly chopped
• 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced (opt)
• 2 cups cooked basmati rice
• 3 garlic cloves
• a good chunk ginger, peeled
• chopped coriander to serve (opt)
• kimchi for serving
• Toasted sesame seeds
• salt or Tamari sauce

Kimchi Miso Sauce

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar/or limes
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce/ Tamari (see note)
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1/4 cup kimchi
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or honey if non vegan)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water (more to thin)

1. Prepare the miso sauce by combing all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. If you are sensitive to sour or vinegar, I suggest you blend without the vinegar and add this lately and according to your taste.
2. Pat the tofu dry. Season well with salt and pepper. Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the tofu and fry until golden. Remove from heat, set aside and season well.
3. Add some more oil if necessary, add the mushrooms and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Grate some garlic and ginger over the mushrooms and season with salt or soy sauce. Stir until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Add the pak choi and cook until wilted but still have some crunch, grate some garlic and ginger over the pak choi and season with salt or soy sauce. Stir until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. If your rice is cold, add to the hot wok along with some oil and warm through.
6. Divide the rice between bowls. Top with the tofu pieces, pak choi, radishes, mushrooms, kimchi and toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle with the sauce and enjoy.