Get ready for poké perfection! Gail Damon shares four fast, fresh and flavourful bowls with dressings and toppings to match.   

Sticky marinated tofu & veggie bowl 

Serves 2 

Ditch the stove and air-fry the mushrooms and tofu at 180°C for 8-12 minutes, basting with the marinade as it cooks. 

Ingredients

1 batch sweet & tangy soy dressing 
350g firm tofu, cubed 1 punnet (250g) mushrooms (we used portabellini and shimeji) Glug olive or canola oil 
2 cups cauli rice 
½ cup frozen peas, blanched (fresh peas work well, too) 
½ cup corn, charred 
1 cup shredded kale or spinach
2 pak choi, sliced 
Sliced spring onion, for serving 
Pickled ginger, for serving  

Method

1. Use about two thirds of the dressing to coat the tofu and mushrooms and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 
2. Heat oil over medium heat and fry tofu, mushrooms and marinade liquid until golden and sticky, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside. 
3. To assemble, divide the cauli rice between two bowls and top with sticky tofu, mushrooms and vegetables. 
4. Drizzle with the reserved dressing, scatter with spring onion and serve topped with pickled ginger.

Dress it up
Have fun and explore flavour combinations by swapping out dressing to make these recipes your own.

Spicy seared tuna bowl 

Serves 2

Splurge with fresh salmon or try tinned tuna and smoked mackerel for an easy swap. Serves 2 

Ingredients

For the poké spice

1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted 
3 Tbsp onion flakes 
2 Tbsp garlic flakes 
2 tsp ground ginger 
1 Tbsp chilli flakes 
1 sheet nori, crushed or finely cut 
3 lime leaves, crushed 
Grated peel of 1 lime 
1 Tbsp coconut or brown sugar 
2 Tbsp dried coriander (optional)  

About 200-300g fresh tuna
Soy sauce, for brushing
2 cups cooked sushi rice
1 avocado, sliced or cubed 
About 6 snacking cucumbers, halved or sliced 
6 radishes, sliced 
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced 
1 pack (150g) shelled edamame beans 
Fresh mint or coriander, for serving  

Method

1. Combine poke spice ingredients. Set aside. 
2. Pat the tuna dry with paper towel and brush with soy sauce to coat well.
3. Generously sprinkle with poke spice, pressing it down so it sticks and thoroughly covers the fish. 
4. Preheat a pan over medium heat until very hot. 
5. Sear tuna, for about 2-3 minutes a side until golden. Slice once cooled. 
6. To assemble: Divide rice between two bowls and top with sliced tuna and veggies. 
7. Drizzle with dressing and scatter with mint or coriander before serving. 

Katsu chicken bowl 

Serves 2 

For a “lazy chicken bowl”, replace the katsu chicken with shredded chicken leftover from Sunday lunch or store-bought rotisserie chicken. 

Ingredients

1/3 cup soy sauce 
2cm knob ginger, grated 
2 Tbsp honey 
1 Tbsp sesame oil, optional 
1 tsp chilli flakes 
Salt and milled pepper 
2 chicken breast fillets, butterflied 
1 cup panko crumbs 
¼ cup sesame seeds + extra for serving 
Olive oil, for frying 
2 cups cooked sushi rice 
150g shelled edamame beans 
1 avocado, sliced 
Spicy miso aioli 
Sliced spring onion and nori, for serving  

Method

1. Whisk together soy sauce, ginger, honey, sesame oil and chilli flakes. 
2. Season the chicken and marinate in soy sauce mixture for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Mix panko and sesame seeds and thoroughly coat chicken, pressing down to make sure it sticks. 
4. Heat oil over medium heat and fry until golden and crispy on both sides. Set aside and keep warm. 
5. Fry the edamame beans until golden, about 5-8 minutes. 
6. To assemble, divide sushi rice between bowls then top with veggies and sliced chicken. 
7. Drizzle with aioli and scatter with spring onion and nori.

Recipes and styling: Gail Damon 

Photographs: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Chef Mahle’s salmon poké bowl recipe 

The post 3 fresh and flavourful poke bowl recipes appeared first on MyKitchen.

In the mood for asian food, but not looking for anything too heavy? Then we got you covered with this ginger and miso soup with grilled tofu recipe.

SERVES 4 // COOK TIME 15 min

INGREDIENTS
For the soup
5 cups water
2 tbsp miso
½ cup chicken stock
10 cm ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on an angle
50 g tenderstem broccoli, thinly sliced
Handful Asian greens
For the tofu
250 g fresh tofu
1 tbsp five-spice
3 tbsp sesame oil

METHOD
For the soup
1. Bring water, miso, chicken stock and ginger to a rapid boil for 5 minutes.
2. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and add carrots, broccoli and greens.
For the tofu
1. Cut the tofu into 1 cm thick squares and press in-between two pieces of paper towel to get rid of excess water.
2. Mix five-spice and sesame oil together. Toss in the tofu.
3. Heat a griddle pan on high heat and fry the tofu squares for 2 min per side until golden.
4. Ladle soup into a bowl and place fried tofu on top.

Top tip: Miso is a fermented rice paste that adds an in-depth flavour to this soup. Swap chicken stock for vegetable stock to make this dish vegan.

Recipes & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen

We love making these whenever we have leftover stir-fry. Our crispy Asian dumplings are a bite-sized taste surprise that you will go back for again and again.

The post Ginger and miso soup with grilled tofu appeared first on MyKitchen.

Sweet and spicy flavours are a beautiful match in this crispy tofu with strawberry-chill salsa! It’s perfect for when you have veggie guests over.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 20 min

INGREDIENTS
400 g tofu
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp cornflour
Pinch salt
1 egg, whisked
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 chilli, chopped
Handful coriander, roughly chopped
Handful mint, roughly chopped
8 strawberries, sliced
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp honey
2 spring onions, finely sliced lengthways

METHOD
1. Pat the tofu with paper towel to absorb as much moisture as possible.*
2. Mix the sesame seeds, cornflour and salt.
3. Dip each the side of the tofu into the whisked egg, then the sesame-seed coating.
4. Heat the oil and fry the tofu until crisp and golden. Slice it.
5. For the salsa, combine the remaining ingredients, except the spring onions. Leave for 10 minutes.
6. To serve, top the crispy tofu with salsa and spring onions.

*Tofu tip: The trick to getting your tofu crispy is to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If you have time, put it in a colander and place a plate weighted with a heavy tin on top. Leave for an hour.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

For winter, we love this vegan mac ‘n’ cheese! Plus, it’s great for the whole family.

The post Crispy tofu with strawberry-chilli salsa and spring onion appeared first on MyKitchen.

This festive season, eat and be veggie! You can put together a beautiful plant-based spread in no time with these beetroot foldovers with tofu.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 35 min

INGREDIENTS
400 g block tofu
20 g nutritional yeast
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
15 g parsley
4 tbsp olive oil
5 beetroots, cooked and thinly sliced

METHOD
1. In a food processor, blend together the tofu, yeast and lemon zest and juice, until smooth. Season and set aside.
2. Blend together the parsley and olive oil until smooth. Season and set aside.
3. To assemble, fold the beetroot slices in half and add 1 tsp of tofu filling to the centre. The filling will help the foldovers keep their shape.
4. Drizzle with parsley oil, season and serve immediately.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Our beetroot and butternut stacks make another veggie side favourite!

The post Enjoy a very vegan Christmas with these beetroot foldovers appeared first on MyKitchen.

MK Art Director Andrea makes a mean veggie dish! She shared with us this mouth-watering Korean barbecue tofu bowl served with stir-fried veg and quinoa for as a perfect lunch option.

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
For the sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
1½ tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tsp miso
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha/chilli sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
Salt and pepper
For the bowls
300 g tofu, pressed
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup sliced red pepper
To serve
2 cups quinoa, cooked (± ⅔ cups uncooked)
2 cups sliced red cabbage
2 spring onions, sliced
Sesame seeds to garnish

METHOD
For the sauce
1. In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Set aside.
For the bowls
1. Slice the tofu into 2 cm cubes and marinate in the soy sauce, honey and 1 tbsp sesame oil.
2. Heat the rest of the sesame oil in a pan over high heat and add the broccoli, pineapple and red pepper. Stir-fry until slightly brown and tender. Add a splash of water if the pan becomes too dry.
3. Add the tofu to the pan and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown.
To serve
1. Build the bowls by placing the quinoa and red cabbage at the bottom, then topping with the veg and tofu. Drizzle with the sauce and garnish with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe: Andrea Kühn
Styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

The post Korean barbecue tofu bowl with stir-fried veg and quinoa appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you’re craving an old-fashioned BLT but need a veggie option, this tofu alternative makes the perfect substitute – packing in all the flavour without the meat.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 20 min, plus resting and marinating time

INGREDIENTS
200 g firm tofu
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp paprika
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp Olive oil
4 slices wholewheat bread
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp  mustard
Fresh salad leaves
1 large tomato, sliced

METHOD
1. Cut the tofu into 4 thin slices. Press the tofu by laying out the slices in a clean dish or on paper towels and top with something heavy. Leave for 10–15 minutes until completely dried.
2. Combine the honey, soy sauce, chilli sauce, paprika and plenty of black pepper in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Place the tofu slices in the marinade and leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
4. To cook, place the tofu in a frying pan over medium heat with a glug of olive oil. Pour over any leftover marinade. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until the tofu is firm and crispy.
5. Assemble the sandwiches by smearing each side of the bread with mayonnaise and mustard. Layer with the fresh greens, tomato and tofu.

The post Tofu ‘BLT’ appeared first on MyKitchen.