Enjoy the best of Japanese plant-based cuisine in this Crispy Tofu Buddha Bowl starring pan-seared tofu flavored with homemade ponzu sauce and topped with nutty sesame seeds.
What are Buddha Bowls?
When it comes to eating sustainably and colorfully, we’ve started thinking more in terms of a simple, nutritious one-bowl meal.
Essentially, a Buddha bowl is a one-bowl arrangement of nutritious foods. The term comes from the appearance of the bowl, packed so full of goodness that it resembles the rounded belly of Buddha!
It starts with a base of grains or greens. Then you scoop in two big handfuls of vegetables. Add in a lean protein. Finish it with a savory sauce or dressing plus a sprinkle of crunch.
GRAINS
+
GREENS
+
PROTEIN
+
SAUCE
+
CRUNCH
Use up leftovers or what you have on hand!
The Buddha Bowl formula is so flexible. We want you to reinvent leftovers into another meal that tastes completely different with the choice of flavorful sauce and a crunchy topping!
- For grains: what do you have on hand? Rice, quinoa, barley? Use what you have.
- For veggies: what’s in the refrigerator? Raid your veg drawer, and chop up your favorites.
- For lean protein: we chose crispy tofu (we’ll teach you how to make it), or maybe you have leftover roasted chicken or pork chops?
- For sauce: let’s make a homemade Japanese citrusy soy sauce – or just use store-bought bottle.
- For crunch: we love sesame seeds! What do you like?
For this Crispy Tofu Buddha Bowl, here’s our formula:
How to make Crispy Pan-Seared Tofu
The key to extra crispy tofu is to remove as much water as possible. If you have time, press the tofu between two plates or under a baking sheet topped with a heavy can of tomatoes for 15 minutes. Discard the water. Pat the tofu very dry on both sides with paper towel.
- Cut extra firm tofu into thick slices. Pat very dry with paper towel.
- Brush on a little bit of soy sauce on both sides
- Heat up your frying pan with a little oil. Brown the tofu on each side.
- Brush more soy sauce sauce as you go.
What is Ponzu Sauce?
Available online and in Asian supermarkets, Ponzu sauce is a brightened up kind of soy sauce–a savory, piquant dressing that freshens up any dish with its citrusy-soy flavor.
The sauce is delicious because it hits every single flavor note:
- sour
- salty
- sweet
- savory
Store-bought Ponzu Sauce is easy to find. The most popular brand is Kikkoman, which is great to use.
My favorite brand is Mizkan Ponzu (it’s a 200-yr old family-owned brand from Japan). I also like this brand sold on Thrive, which contains no oil, refined sugar, artificial coloring, additives, or preservatives.
How to make homemade Ponzu Sauce
To make 1 cup of Ponzu, whisk together:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup lemon juice and/or orange juice (I like a combo – half and half)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine) – or substitute with 2 tablespoons sake or water + 2 teaspoons sugar)
Give it a taste. Is it tangy, but still slightly sweet? Feel free to add more sugar. If it’s too salty, add more water.
Alternative Crunchy Topping: Furikake!
If you are feeling a little adventurous, try Japanese Furikake (pronounced fu-ree-KAH-keh). I know. It sounds funny (giggle).
Furikake is like salty/savory spice for your rice!. Think nori flakes, “wasabi” granules (horseradish usually), sesame seeds, dried bonito flakes and miso powder sold in a small jar.
I’ll recommend this organic, vegan furikake by Muso from Japan–clean and simple, with toasted seaweed and sesame seeds. A couple shakes give your rice plenty of character!
pssst…..Furikake sprinkled on freshly popped popcorn is THE BEST.
Other recipe resources
- How to cook white rice in the microwave (or on the stove)
- How to cook brown rice in the microwave (or on the stove)
- How to cook quinoa in the microwave (or on the stove)
- How to cook brown rice in the microwave
- Best tool to julienne carrot and cucumber
- How to microwave bok choy
- How to dry toast sesame seeds
- How to hard boil an egg on the stove
- My favorite way to cook hardboiled eggs
More uses for Ponzu Sauce
Asian Slaw with Ponzu Sauce
Uni Shooter with Ponzu Sauce
Beef With Daikon and Ponzu Dressing
Crispy Tofu Buddha Bowl with Ponzu Sauce & Sesame Seeds Recipe
Ingredients
For the GRAIN
- 2-3 cups cooked quinoa or other grain of choice (for low carb, choose a base of greens)
For the VEGGIES
- 4-6 cups vegetables of choice: lettuce, kale, shredded carrot, steamed broccoli, roasted butternut squash, sliced cucumbers, shredded cabbage, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, sliced bell pepper, etc.
For the PROTEIN
- 14 ounces tofu extra firm
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
For the SAUCE
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup citrus juice lemon and/or orange juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons mirin
For the CRUNCH
- 4 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted in dry pan until fragrant
Instructions
Ponzu Sauce
- To make the Ponzu sauce, whisk all the ingredients together. Give it a taste. Is it tangy, salty, but still slightly sweet? Feel free to add more sugar. If it's too salty add more water.
Crispy Tofu
- Place the tofu block on a plate lined with a couple pieces of paper towel. Place another plate on top of the tofu. Stack on something heavy, like a couple cans of soup. Let sit 15 minutes. Drain and discard water. Slice tofu into 1/2" slices. Pat the tofu very dry on both sides. Brush soy sauce on both sides of each slice of tofu.
- Heat a frying pan with the cooking oil on medium-high heat, until shimmering. Carefully add the tofu slices. Pan-fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Brush on more soy sauce. Flip tofu slice and fry an additional 1 minute. Brush on more soy sauce.
Assemble Buddha Bowl
- Get four large bowls ready. Add to bowl: Grains, veggies, tofu. Drizzle on sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Thanks for your hard work on this.
Not only looks delicious, but also sounds really healthy.
I wish that was my bowl. Really amazing dear. Keep it up.
Another excellent, healthy and easy recipe! I love that you use ponzu sauce for this dish. You can also make great ponzu sauce using yuzu if anyone wants to make the sauce a bit more exotic. 😉 Yummy!
It looks so great cant wait to give this a try!!!
Make a good health recipe for health nutrition filled, and absolutely delicious!