Bulgogi tofu bowls with gochujang marinade

Grilled bulgogi tofu in bowl with vegan kimchi, garlicky spinach, and brown rice.

5 from 5 votes

Bulgogi tofu bowls with gochujang marinade

Bring something out of the ordinary to grilling season! These spicy Korean-inspired bowls are made with bulgogi tofu, sautéed spinach, and kimchi on brown rice.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

Keyword: bowl, grilled tofu

Servings: people

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

For bulgogi tofu

¼ cup tamari
1 Tablespoon gochujang
1 Tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon granulated onion
½ teaspoon ginger powder
3 garlic cloves minced
Dash of black pepper
10 ounces super firm tofu in vacuum packaging, cut in ½ inch slices*
Oil for grill grate if necessary

For bowls

½ teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred oil
2 cloves garlic minced
6 ounces baby spinach leaves
Salt to taste
1 cup cooked brown rice
½ cup kimchi drained

Instructions

To make bulgogi tofu

In a shallow glass baking dish, combine tamari, gochujang, agave syrup, brown rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, granulated onion, ginger powder, minced garlic, and a grind of black pepper.
Place the slices of tofu in the marinade, and then flip them so that both sides are coated.
Marinate tofu slices for at least an hour and up to 24 hours. (The longer it marinates, the more flavorful it will be.) Flip the tofu again halfway through for even marinating.
After the tofu has marinated, heat the outdoor grill to 500 degrees.**
If necessary, lightly oil grill grate. Grill tofu slices on grill for two to three minutes on each side until brown grill marks form.

To make bowls

Bring a non-stick skillet to a medium heat and add avocado oil. Sauté garlic in oil.
Once the garlic is fragrant, add the baby spinach leaves to the skillet. Move the leaves across the pan until they are just wilted. Add salt to taste.
Put a half cup of brown rice into two bowls. Divide the sautéed spinach between the two bowls. Top the rice with ¼ cup of kimchi each. Place 2 slices of tofu in each bowl, and serve.

Notes

*This recipe can be made with water-packed tofu. However, you'll need to press it before marinating. If you're using water-packed tofu, I recommend getting a 14 ounce package. After the tofu has been pressed, it will be roughly the same size as the 10 ounce block.

**If you don't have access to an outdoor grill or it's not grilling season, the tofu can easily be made on an indoor grill pan instead. Just bring the grill pan to a medium high heat and spritz with oil. Cook the tofu slices for about 3 minutes on each side. Don't move the slices until nice, dark grill marks have formed.

Tofu adapted from bulgogi recipe by David Lebovitz.

Nutrition