NINJA Rice Bowl from Fresh Restaurant

How could you not love the sound of this one!  However, please be warned - this recipe takes an extremely long time to make and may leave you feeling very fatigued.  It also takes a lot of patience and ambition.  It is adapted from the new re-Fresh cookbook by Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston.

Ninja Rice Bowl

Ingredients

16 Marinated Tofu Cubes (see recipe below)

1 batch Crispy Tofu Coating (see recipe below)

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1 1/2 cups Wasabi Dill Dressing (see recipe below)

8 cups mixed lettuce greens

6 marinated sundried tomatoes (see recipe below)

1 cup sprouts

Method

1. Toss Marinated Tofu Cubes in Crispy Tofu Coating. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat, add tofu cubes and cook until browned on all sides.

2. Put 1 cup cooked brown basmati rice in large rice bowl and drizzle with a portion of Wasabi Dill Dressing.

3. Toss lettuce with Wasabi Dill Dressing and pile on top of rice.

4. Arrange marinated sundried tomatoes on top of lettuce.

5. Make a little nest with the sprouts in the centre and put Crispy Tofu cubes in the nest.

6. Repeat for each serving.

Marinated Tofu Cubes

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups tofu

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp. oil

Method

1. Cut the tofu into medium-sized cubes.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl; then pour over the tofu cubes. Marinate for 1 hour.

Crispy Tofu Coating

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 tbsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Wasabi Dill Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. wasabi powder

6 tbsp. water

2 cups firm tofu, chopped

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. dried dill weed

1/4 cup rice vinegar

Method

1. Sauté onion and garlic five minutes or until softened. Let cool.

2. Put wasabi and 2 tablespoons water into the blender and blend.

3. Add remaining ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Add remaining water if needed to get to a pourable consistency.

Marinated Sundried Tomato Paste

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup sundried tomatoes

1 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. Mixed Dry Herbs

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the sundried tomatoes. Let sit for 5 minutes or until softened. Strain.

2. In a bowl, mix the olive oil and herbs together. Stir in the sundried tomatoes.

3. Purée in a blender or food processor. 

I made the mistake of using 1/2 cup more olive oil in the wasabi dressing by accident.  Ooops.  A ridiculously big mistake I do realize, but it wasn't a big disaster.  Just consumed a bit more oil than I perhaps would have liked.  And by "a bit," I mean "a lot."  C'est la vie!