A bright, citrusy rice salad made with pantry ingredients in no time!

Scale

2 Tablespoons oil

2 stalks lemongrass, hard outer leaves peeled and the top half cut off and discarded (or 3 Tablespoons of frozen minced lemongrass)

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 scallions, sliced

4 cups cooked long grain rice (jasmine, basmati, or anything not short and sticky)

1 cup mint shredded

¾ cup cilantro leaves chopped

4 kaffir lime leaves (hard stem in the back removed)

4 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons fish sauce (substitute soy sauce or a combination of soy sauce and coconut aminos for vegetarians)

1–6.5 oz package fried tofu cutlet (you can substitute a half container of firm tofu and fry it first or use it the way it is)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Open the package of tofu and rinse it off under running water. Cut it in half horizontally, then lengthwise, and then into thin ¼ inch strips from the short end of the block. Set aside.
Trim the hard bottom ¼” of the lemongrass and whack it with the side of your knife to expose more of the inside. Mince it finely and set it aside.
Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the oil, lemongrass, crushed red pepper, and scallion. Cook for 2-3 mins taking care not to burn the aromatics. Add the tofu and stir-fry for a minute.
Add the lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir to coat the tofu with the sauce, cook for a minute, and turn off the heat.
Pour the tofu into a large bowl, add the rice, mint, cilantro, and lime leaves. Use a fork or clean hands (if you can tolerate the heat) to gently toss the mixture to combine it.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little more fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice as needed.
Serve the salad warm or chill and serve cool.
Make ahead: you can make the tofu ahead of time and keep it separate from the rice and herbs until ready to serve. Refrigerated rice can be hard and chalky so make sure to reheat the rice gently in a microwave if using leftover rice.

Keywords: lemongrass rice tofu vegan bowls make-ahead