Vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice - 素叉烧饭
This vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu) Rice is really simple to make at home. The tofu is first coated with cornstarch then pan-fried until golden. Then, they are coated with a homemade Char Siu sauce for a delicious and glossy sheen. This meal is complete with a homemade ginger garlic chili sauce. Enjoy!
Servings: 3 people
Equipment
- Rice cooker
Ingredients
- 16 oz firm tofu drained
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- oil for cooking
Ginger Rice (enough for 6 people)
- 3 cups rice
- a few slices of ginger [about 15g]
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pandan leaves knotted
- water (see notes)
Char Siu Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan 'oyster' sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon dark soy sauce* for color (optional)
- white pepper
- ⅓ cup water
Sweet Sauce Mix (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
Instructions
Prepare the Ginger Rice
- Wash and rinse Jasmine rice with cold water until the water turns clear (about three rinses). Drain out the water and set aside.
- Heat a large pan and add 3 teaspoons of cooking oil. Sauté ginger slices until aromatic and continue to do the same for garlic.
- Add the rice, salt, and butter then stir-fry all the mixture over medium low heat until fragrant. [This step is to dry up the rice as well.]
- Transfer rice to the inner rice pot. Add the pandan leaves and water.
- Cook the rice on 'white rice' settings. When ready, fluff the rice with fork before serving.
Prepare the vegan Char Siu (BBQ Tofu)
- Combine all the char siu sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Cut tofu into 3 slabs, lengthwise. Rub all sides with cornstarch.
- Heat a non-stick pan and add in a tablespoon of oil. Using low-medium heat, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides. Tip: Do not flip the tofu until a crust is formed.
- Once the tofu is ready, add in the sauce. Coat each side with the sauce until the tofu has a nice glossy sheen. This process takes a little bit of time as you need to turn and coat each side evenly.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and let them cool down completely before slicing it into slices.
- Now, make the sweet sauce by mixing maple syrup and soy sauce with toasted sesame oil in a bowl. Or you can simply cook the sauce in the pan with the remaining oil in the pan.
How to serve
- Place the flavored ginger rice and vegan Char Siu on a plate. Add a spoonful of sweet sauce mix on top of the Char Siu then pair it with a side of sliced cucumber and ginger garlic chili sauce. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- How much water needed for 3 cups of rice? I used about 1¼ cup water to 1 cup of rice depending on the brand of rice. Usually, I measure my water needed using the first crease of my index finger as a guideline which is also known as the Knuckle Method.
- Check this recipe for homemade vegan 'oyster' sauce.
- Best served with homemade Ginger Garlic Chili sauce.
- Thick dark soy sauce such as kicap manis will work great. Some brands label it as Thick Caramel sauce.