Sweet Potato Rice With Smoked Tofu (Vegan)

Sweet Potato Rice With Smoked Tofu (Vegan)

Learn how to make this Caribbean style one pan dish where marinated and seared smoked tofu meets a vibrant sweet potato brown rice medley. Plant based, tasty and full of wholesome goodness.

Course Main Entree

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

Servings people

Calories 428kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

To marinate the tofu

14 oz smoked tofu pressed and cubed (see notes)(double the amount 14oz)
¼ cup soy(a) sauce
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1½ tablespoon homemade browning sauce (use ½ teaspoon if you are using store bought)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1½ tablespoon maple syrup
1½ tablespoon all purpose seasoning
1 teaspoon tapioca starch

To cook the sweet potato rice

4 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion sliced
1 scallion sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoon ginger minced
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1½ tablespoon curry powder
1½ tablespoon all purpose seasoning
½ tablespoon chadon beni
8 sprigs of thyme
½ tablespoon pimento berries
1 medium sweet potato chopped (approx 3 cups)
2 cups brown rice
2 cups kale chopped
1 scotch bonnet optional
2½ cups vegetable broth
¾ cup coconut milk
black pepper and pink salt to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, add the soy(a) sauce, homemade browning sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, all purpose seasoning, tapioca starch and mix to combine.
.Place the smoked tofu in a large bowl, pour the marinade over the tofu and use a spoon to thoroughly baste each piece of tofu.
Repeat the above step a few times so the tofu gains some colour and to allow the marinade to absorb the tofu.
Cover the bowl with saran wrap/cling film, refrigerate and leave to marinate for several hours or preferably overnight (during this time you can baste the tofu ocassionally as this will deepen the flavour and colour).
Preheat a medium sized non stick saucepan with 2 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat.
Remove the tofu from the marinade (don't throw it away) and proceed to brown the tofu on each side (this should take several minutes and you may need to do this in batches).
As the tofu begins to brown add 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved marinade to the saucepan to further help with browning and enhancing the taste of the tofu.
Once browned, remove from the saucepan and set aside (clean out the saucepan prior to moving onto the next step).
Preheat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in the same saucepan on medium heat.
Saute the red onion, scallion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent.
Add the rell bell pepper and green bell pepper and continue to cook until soft for a few minutes.
Add the herb and spices - curry powder, all purpose seasoning, chadon beni, thyme, pimento berries scotch bonnet along with the kale, sweet potato and brown rice.
Pour in the vegetable broth and coconut milk milk, stir and bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is fluffy with the lid on. Keep a watchful on the rice, as you may need a add more liquid (if so, only add ¼ cup at a time as you don't want to add too much).
After the given time the rice should be fluffy and not mushy. Use a fork to determine the readiness. The rice grain should be soft and easy to squeeze and the liquid should have completely absorbed.
Fold in the tofu and allow to heat through for a few minutes.Do a taste test and add black pepper and pink salt accordingly.

Notes

Make sure to "press" the smoked tofu before marinating it, this will help to remove the excess moisture which helps the marinade to penetrate much deeper.
Feel free to double the tofu quantity to increase the protein levels (using 2 x 15oz or 800g instead).
These are links that you will need for my Curry Powder, All Purpose Seasoning and Vegetable Broth.
Not every tofu needs pressing, check the label first as it usually indicates whether you need to press out any additional moisture.
Use the timeline for cooking the rice as a guideline and always check the rice throughout this time, you may need to add more liquid or cook off any excess liquid.
If your rice is mushy, this tutorial on How to Fix Rice will be useful.
For those of you who are in the UK, The Tofoo Co is comes in XL size and comes in smoked flavour, you can purchase this from Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons or Asda.
Marinate for as long as possible, overnight for best results.
You can purchase the Caribbean sweet potato from most supermarkets or markets, you find will them in places with a high population of Caribbean/Latinos communities.
Make sure to use a sturdy non stick saucepan to prevent any sticking.
Don't stir the rice too much as it is cooking (as tempting as it is) leave it to cook undisturbed.
Don't forgot to remove the thyme stems, pimento berries and scotch bonnet prior to serving.
Refrigerate any leftovers when cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
This is a freezer friendly recipe, freeze for up to 3 months.
Feel free to add additional ingredients such as legumes (black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, oyster mushrooms, okra , cho cho, peas, carrots, tomatoe and so forth.

Nutrition