Hello, my chickpeas! It's been a bit since I released a buddha bowl recipe, so I thought now was a good time to hit you with my current favorite: my Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowl!
If you are unfamiliar with buddha bowls, you should definitely check out my FREE ebook! It's all about how to craft your perfect bowl and even includes some recipes! The basic idea of a buddha bowl though is to combine a whole bunch of delicious things in a bowl and devour. This one does not disappoint!
I've had many plant-based banh mi sandwiches in restaurants over the years, but it occurred to me recently that the ingredients of a banh mi could totally be deconstructed and turned into bowl form. Once I had the idea in my head, I had to try it. It ended up being one of my favorite bowl combos I've ever made! The pickled veggies combined with the fresh veggies, the crunch of the cucumber, the slight kick from the sriracha mayo and the jalapeno? The best. But my absolute favorite part is the marinated tofu - you seriously have to try it.
Ingredients for Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowl
Now, buddha bowl recipes require you to prepare multiple things that all get thrown together. Because of that, the ingredients list can look a bit long. But don't let it scare you away! Most of the ingredients are actually pretty straight forward! But lets break down some of the main ingredients we will be working with today.
- Carrot and daikon - we will be turning these into pickled veggies for our bowls! Pickled veggies are a staple for any good banh mi, so this is my quick & simple take on it.
- Rice vinegar - this will make up the base of our pickling brine for the carrot and daikon.
- Firm tofu - a traditional banh mi uses meat, but since we making this plant-based with tofu! I love tofu because it pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it.
- Tamari, lime juice, and spices - for our tofu marinade to give our tofu flavor! We are going for a sort of umami and slightly smoky flavor here.
- Vegan mayo and sriracha - to make a delicious sauce! You can use vegenaise for the mayo, or you can keep it oil-free with my homemade Easy Vegan Mayo.
- Brown rice and greens - the base of our buddha bowl!
- Cucumbers, jalapeno, cilantro, and green onions - all for some extra green and extra flavor! The jalapeno also adds a bit of a kick, and the cucumber adds a fun crunch.
How to make Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowls
Similarly to the ingredients list, don't let the directions of this one scare you away either! They may look long at first since you have multiple things to prepare, but they aren't super complicated. Here's the basic run down to prove that it isn't too bad!
- Boil your pickling mixture and pour it on top of your carrot and daikon. Let cool.
- Mix together tofu marinade
- Add tofu and marinade to a dish and let sit for a while.
- Cook your tofu in a pan on the stove top - flipping every few minutes.
- Mix together your mayo sriracha sauce
- Assemble the bowls
Tips & Tricks for making the Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowl
- If you want to make this into an actual banh mi sandwich, go for it! Just layer your sriracha mayo sauce, pickled veggies, fresh veggies, marinated tofu, and toppings on your bread.
- Not a fan of the heat? You can use as little sriracha in your sauce as you'd like, so start with a very small amount and then add more if you think you can handle it! You can also remove the seeds from the jalapenos if you want them to be more mild, or you could leave out the jalapenos all together.
- For an oil-free version, be sure to check out the oil-free mayo recipe that I link in the recipe notes! You can find the recipe notes below the actual recipe.
- Feel free to switch up the pickled veggies! I use carrot and daikon in the official recipe. However, you could leave out the daikon and just double up on carrot, pickle your cucumber or your jalapeno, or even add another type of turnip or radish to the mix. I recommend sticking to the directions on HOW to prepare your pickled veggies, but the veggies you actually use for it can be whatever you'd like!
- Want to meal prep this? You could absolutely prepare all of the individual components ahead of time, and then assemble your bowls for lunches or dinners throughout your week.
- In the mood for more fun buddha bowls? Check out my Mediterranean Buddha Bowl, my Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl, or my ebook: Your Plant-Based Guide to a Better Buddha Bowl!
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Banh Mi Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
Pickled veggies
- ½ cup shredded or julienned carrot (about 1 small carrot)
- ½ cup shredded or julienned daikon (about ⅓ of a daikon)
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Marinated Tofu
- 1 block firm tofu - pressed for 20 minutes*
- ¼ cup tamari
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Mayo Sriracha Sauce
- ¼ cup Joyful Balance Easy Vegan Mayo - (OR store-bought vegan mayo)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ½ - 1 tablespoon lime juice
Buddha Bowl
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 cups greens of choice (My go-to is spinach)
- 3 mini cucumbers - thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
- Marinated Tofu (recipe above)
- Pickled Veggies (recipe above)
- Mayo Sriracha Sauce (recipe above)
- 1 jalapeno - thinly sliced (seeds removed if sensitive to heat)
- ¼ cup cilantro - roughly chopped
- 2 green onions - chopped
Instructions
- Prepare your pickled veggies: Add your shredded (or julienned) carrot and daikon to a jar or container of choice (you will be adding boiling liquid to this soon, so make sure your container is safe for hot liquid). Set to the side. Add your rice vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a small pot on the stove top. Bring to a boil while stirring regularly. Once your mixture is boiling and the salt and sugar have mostly dissolved, remove from heat. Pour mixture into the jar of carrot and daikon. Add the lid to your jar or container and let cool to room temperature while you move on to step 2. Once it has reached room temp (takes about 30 minutes for me), move it to the fridge to let cool even more (the longer it sits, the stronger flavor it'll have! I recommend at least another 20-30 minutes).
- Prepare tofu marinade: In a small bowl, combine tamari, lime juice, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and maple syrup. Mix until combined.
- Marinate your tofu: Once your tofu has pressed for 20 minutes, cut tofu block into cubes (mine are usually about 1 inch cubes). Add tofu cubes to a shallow dish and pour marinade on top. Carefully move the tofu cubes around with a spatula or other utensil until they are all evenly coated in the marinade. Set to the side and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Cook your tofu: Once your tofu has marinated for 15 minutes, bring a medium non-stick pan to medium-high heat on stove top. Add your tofu cubes to the pan, but DON'T add any of the leftover marinade just yet. Let the first side of the tofu cubes sit and cook about 4-5 minutes. Give them a flip, add a bit more of the marinade to the pan to prevent sticking (and for extra flavor), and allow to sit and cook another 4-5 minutes. Continue this process (flipping, adding a bit more marinade, allow to sit & cook, flipping again) for about 15-20 minutes total, or until they are cooked to your liking. Remove from heat.
- Prepare your Mayo Sriracha Sauce: Mix together vegan mayo, ½ teaspoon sriracha, and ½ tablespoon lime juice. Taste and adjust as desired - adding more sriracha and/or lime juice if you'd like.
- Assemble your bowls: Dividing all ingredients between 4 bowls, assemble your Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowls! Each bowl gets brown rice, a large handful of greens, thinly sliced cucumbers, marinated tofu, a few spoonfuls of pickled veggies, and a drizzle of the mayo sriracha sauce. Top with a few jalapeno slices, and a sprinkle of cilantro and green onion. Enjoy!
Notes
Happy cooking, friends! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your bowl-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
[…] for more recipes to use up your brown rice? Check out my Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowl or my Vegan Butter Chicken with Soy Curls […]