We are quickly approaching the season of overindulgence. Cocktail parties, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, New Years brunches….all filled with delicious, and filling, foods. It’s nice to have a wholesome, nutrient dense meal to restore and recharge in between. That’s where Hijiki comes in. Hijiki is a sea vegetable that has been consumed in Japan for centuries. Grown wild on the coastlines of east Asia, it is rich in minerals like magnesium, iron, and calcium. It also provides a hefty dose of fiber. And if you find the taste of seaweed to be a little too briny, you’re in luck. Hijiki is more earthy tasting than fishy. Combined with tofu, edamame, mushrooms, and a flavorful sauce, this Hijiki makes a quick and satisfying meal to fuel you through this busy season.

Hijiki

Hijiki is typically purchased dried, and looks a bit like tea leaves. You can find it at the Asian grocery store in the aisle where other sea vegetables like Nori, Wakame, and Kombu are sold.

My family members are big fans of Hijiki and my version is an easy dish to introduce to children. The flavors are mild, the veggies tender, and it has a gentle sweetness. Plus it’s delicious with rice, coating the grains with rich flavor. However, for many older Japanese people, like my best friend’s father, Hijiki brings up bad food memories. Post war Japan was a food desert, with too many hungry mouths. Hijiki, which was abundant and cheap, featured in many meals. To this day, he refuses to eat it. Thankfully, we are lucky to eat Hijiki by choice, and it’s an excellent one.

The hijiki gets soaked in water to rehydrate before using in a recipe. Cover the hijiki with water for 15-30m minutes, and then drain and rinse.

Other Ingredients

Use the time that it’s soaking to prep everything else.

When everything is prepped and the hijiki is drained and rinsed, it’s time to put it all together. Start by heating a deep pan and then adding a neutral oil.

Then a Gentle Simmer

The mixture needs to simmer covered for about 25 minutes for all the flavors to meld and the vegetables soften. There’s a good amount of liquid that gets added to the Hijiki. Depending on how tight your lid sits, you may have just a bit of sauce left or it may be a little soupy. I usually cook the Hijiki for 5 minutes with the lid off at the end, (to cook off some of the extra moisture), but this dish is meant to be wet.

Right at the end, I add edamame for a nice pop of color, and then this nutritional superstar is ready to serve.

Leftovers make a wonderful lunch and it keeps well in the fridge, about a week. So take some time during the holi-daze rush to down something nourishing and refueling. And let me know what you think! You can rate the recipe below and leave a comment, and show off our creations by tagging @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Hijiki

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: side
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ounce dried hijiki, about ½ cup
• 1 fried tofu cutlet, about 6 ounces (You can substitute extra firm tofu)
• 1 medium carrot or 2 small carrots
• ½ large onion
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• ½ cup shelled edamame 
• 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Sauce:

• ¼ cup mirin
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dashi powder

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Instructions

1. Soak the hijiki in 3 cups of water for 15-30 minutes. Drain the hijiki in a colander, rinse under running water, and set aside.
2. Prep the vegetables while soaking hijiki:
3. Cut the tofu in half horizontally and then in half lengthwise. Now cut across the strips to create small thin pieces. Set aside.
4. Trim the stems off of the shiitakes and discard. Slice the mushrooms into thin slices. Set aside.
5. Peel and trim the carrots. Slice cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then cut into thin half moon pieces. Set aside.
6. Trim the onion and peel off the outer skin. Cut the onion in half lengthwise and then slice the onion into thin pieces. Set aside.
7. Heat a deep skillet over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the oil and then the onions. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes, moving them around. You should start to see the onions caramelize.
8. Add the carrots, mushrooms, and hiziki, and stir to combine.
9. Add the tofu, soy sauce, mirin, dashi powder, sesame oil, and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium low and cover with a lid. 
10. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
11. Take the lid off, raise the heat to medium high and continue to cook for 5 minutes letting some of the liquid evaporate. 
12. Add the edamame, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the edamame is heated through.
13. Serve immediately.

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Keywords: vegan, healthy asian, sea vegetables, seaweed, tofu, japanese

Nothing solves the age old question of, “What’s for dinner, mom?” quite like grain bowls packed with delicious toppings. They are fun, flexible, and economical, and this Ginger Tofu Grain Bowl is a favorite in my house. The gingery, saucy tofu and mildly spicy gochujang sauce (which mixes up in a flash!) get soaked up by the quinoa rice blend, and you know I pack as many veggies as possible in there too.

If you are a meal prepper, then you are really going to love my Ginger Tofu Bowl, because the grains, ginger tofu, spinach, sauce, and mushrooms can all be made ahead of time. Doing the whole lower-carb thing at the beginning of this new year? No problem!  Just swap out the grains for cauliflower rice. The real star of this bowl is the ginger tofu anyway.

This bowl is packed with texture, flavor, and color; you’ll never miss the meat. I promise. The easiest way to eat a balanced diet, including reducing animal meat, is by making vegetarian food just as enticing as meat dishes. And the combination of flavors in this dish will really pique your taste buds.

This Ginger Tofu Grain Bowl is a mishmash of a lot of delicious bites that transcend any single cuisine. Like many of the best things, it’s a lovable mutt. And I hope you make a place in your home for this one.

You Don’t Like Tofu?!

If you think it’s bland or mushy, you just haven’t had it properly prepared. When you make this ginger tofu, you are going to become a convert. We have served countless dishes that incorporate ginger tofu in our restaurants and people can’t believe how good it is. And that includes diehard carnivores. If you are looking to cut back on meat, this is a great place to start. Tofu is an excellent source of protein, very economical, and has a lighter footprint on the planet. And when pan-fried with a delectable sauce, it’s going to become your new Meatless Monday BFF.

While three tablespoons of shredded ginger might seem like a lot, those tasty slivers are the best part! This is a great time to practice your knife skills, you want thin and consistently sized ginger matchsticks. (Have you subscribed and received our knife sharpening tutorial? A well sharpened knife is your best companion in the kitchen.)

The tofu is cooked twice. First it is fried in oil to get beautifully browned and crisped. Fried tofu has a delightfully crisp exterior while the interior is tender and pillowy. After it’s nice and crispy, I drain it on paper towels while I start cooking the ginger sauce.

Then it gets bathed in the luscious ginger sauce, until all the pieces are glazed and bronzed. The ginger matchsticks are incredibly flavorful but they also make a beautiful garnish.

Spinach Better Than Popeye’s

The spinach in my Ginger Tofu Grain Bowl is very quick to make. It can also be made ahead, all you Sunday meal prepper warriors. First it gets quickly blanched in boiling water to retain its bright green color. Then I drain it, and squeeze by hand to get out all the excess water. Then chop and season, and it’s done! It will last a couple days in the fridge.

Super Bowls

Now that the spinach is done, it’s time to make the sauce, prep the other toppings, and assemble the bowls.  Briefly sauté the shiitakes, julienne the carrots, and slice the avocados. Grain bowls are super customizable, so if you have other veggies you’d like to add, throw them in! Red bell peppers, radishes, roasted and diced sweet potatoes- all would be welcome here.

Now for the fun part! You can let everyone assemble their own bowls so everyone gets what they want, or you can have fun crafting these gorgeous bowls all by yourself. Don’t forget to put out the Gochugang Sauce!

Ginger Tofu Grain Bowls are a perfect meatless meal! Enjoy them with your family and tell us about it! If you make them scroll down to rate and leave a comment, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen.com, show us the goods!

Ginger Tofu Grain Bowl

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: bowls
• Cuisine: Pan-Asian

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Description

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Ingredients

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Spicy Gochujang Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons Gochujang
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons mirin

Rice:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups medium grain brown rice

Ginger Tofu

• 2 packages medium firm tofu
• Oil for frying
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons shredded ginger (about 1.5 ounce)
• 6 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Remaining Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 cup steamed and shelled edamame
• 2 bags baby spinach (about 6 ounces each)
• 1 large carrot 
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots for garnish

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Instructions

Make the sauce:

1. Combine the gochujang, miso, sesame oil, and mirin in a small bowl using a whisk or fork.
2. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick.
3. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
4. The sauce keeps 1 week in the fridge.

Steam the Rice:

1. Rinse the brown rice and the quinoa in a colander.
2. Put the grains in an Instapot with 2 1/2 cups of water. (You can also use the stove top method which is listed below in the notes.)*
3. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes and then let pressure naturally release once cooked. Set aside until ready to use.

Cook the Spinach:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Add the spinach and stir to wilt, about 30 seconds.
3. Drain the spinach into a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Squeeze the spinach to remove the water and then roughly chop and put into a small bowl.
5. Add the sesame oil and a couple dashes of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make Ginger Tofu:

1. Rinse tofu.
2. Cut the tofu in half on the long side. Then cut the tofu blocks into 6 even slices so you have 12 pieces total. Repeat with the other box. Put the tofu on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
3. Fill a large skillet with 1/2 inch of oil and heat over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
4. Test a piece of tofu by dipping it into the oil. It should start to sizzle immediately. If not, continue heating the oil for several more minutes. 
5. Add half of the tofu and fry for 3-4 minutes. Your tofu should be golden brown and crisp. Check one piece first. Use a spatula or chopsticks and flip over the tofu. Then flip all of the tofu over and continue frying for another 3-4 minutes.
6. Line a plate with paper towels and then lay the fried tofu onto the paper to drain. Repeat with remaining tofu, adding more oil if needed.
7. Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and the ginger.
8. Stir fry the ginger for 1 minute, letting it sizzle and infuse the oil, and then add the soy sauce and the mirin. Stir to combine and then add the fried tofu.
9. Mix gently to evenly coat all of the tofu. Cook for 1 minute and then take the pan off of the heat and set it aside.

Prep Veggie Toppings:

1. Cut the hard woody stems off the shiitake mushrooms and then cut them into thick slices. 
2. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let the mushrooms cook undisturbed for 1 minute and then stir. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes and then set aside.
3. Peel the carrot and then finely julienne by first cutting the carrot into very thin slices. Then stack the slices and cut through the slices to create thin strands. Set aside.
4. Cut the avocado into 4 pieces and then cut the 4 pieces into 4 slices. Fan the slices slightly and set aside.

To Serve:

1. Divide the grains into 4 large bowls. Top with the tofu, then the shiitake mushrooms, then the spinach, and then the avocado slices.
2. Top each bowl with the edamame and some carrots. Sprinkle some fried shallots on top of each bowl. Serve with the sauce.

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Notes

*Stove Top Method: Rinse the brown rice and quinoa. Then add it to a pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and then stir, cover with a lid, lower heat to medium low, and cook for 25 minutes. Stir the rice once more. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking for 12-15 minutes until fully cooked. (If the grains are still a little hard, add a 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.) Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes before using.

*Whichever method you use to make the grains, it is important to wash the grains before starting. Quinoa has a bitter soapy film coating the grains that needs to be rinsed off.