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The Pancake Princess

The Pancake Princess

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Pan-fried Tofu and Kale Bowl

by erika

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After last week’s onslaught of cake, I’ve discovered it’s possible to crave kale as much as cake.

Pan-fried Tofu Kale Bowl // The Pancake Princess

I’m serious. Would I lie to you about kale, the vegetable which I think tastes like dirt? Never!

Pan-fried Tofu Kale Bowl // The Pancake Princess

After being surrounded by nonstop cake, cupcakes and chocolate for the past two weeks, I was literally itching for some leafy greens and I couldn’t stop thinking about tofu. During a vegetarian potluck over Labor Day, someone brought a container of lightly breaded tofu with a watery, sweet and salty dipping sauce. It was like the restaurant-status tofu of my dreams, except better since it wasn’t soaked in grease. Days afterward, I kept imagining an enormous bowl of sturdy but tender steamed kale soaking up that dipping sauce with a mound of lightly breaded tofu on top and that brings us to now, the fourth day in a row of eating this.

Luckily, huge bunches of kale were on sale for $1 this week, so I bought five. The checkout lady did a double take at the register. My fridge has turned into a jungle.

Pan-fried Tofu Kale Bowl // The Pancake Princess

Pan-fried Tofu Kale Bowl // The Pancake Princess

The secret to getting firm, restaurant-status chunks of tofu instead of watery, soggy chunks is to press your tofu. I grew up on non-pressed tofu, but now–I’m never going back. There are tons of tutorials on how to press tofu online; I just wrap my tofu in a paper towel, put it in my flat strainer over the sink and place a cutting board on top of the tofu, weighed down by cans or other heavy objects for about an hour.

Although I thought I might have issues with soy after doing a detox earlier this year, I discovered that I really don’t have any problems with tofu unless it’s mixed into a sweet dish. And I wouldn’t worry about eating an excess of soy unless you eat this every day from here on out (of which I could potentially be in danger). This is just delicious beyond words and will provide you with an extraordinary boost of health to boot. So much protein! Tons of vitamin A and C! Calcium and potassium galore! Not to mention this is super fast and easy once you get the hang of pressing the tofu before you want to eat it.

Pan-fried Tofu Kale Bowl

The combination of tangy rice vinegar, smoky sesame oil and soy sauce with a small hit of honey really takes the kale from meh to A+++. I’ve tried both silken and firm tofu and while the silken tofu doesn’t hold up as well to the coating and frying as the firm, I loved the scrambled texture threaded with surprise bits of crispy, breaded edges. I added corn to one of the first bowls and added carrots and sesame seeds for extra color and texture last night, but I honestly this is just as good with just kale and tofu.

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Pan-fried Tofu and Kale Bowl

Lightly breaded and fried tofu on top of steamed kale tossed in a soy-sesame dressing is a meal you'll want to eat every day.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Calories 275kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch kale
  • 1 14- oz. package firm or silken tofu
  • 2-3 tablespoons flour any kind (I've tried white whole wheat and quinoa, with great results)
  • garlic powder
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 large carrot julienned or shaved, optional

  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon soy sauce liquid aminos for gluten-free folk
  • drizzle of honey or maple syrup/agave to keep this vegan
  • sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  • Press your tofu for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. I wrap my tofu in a paper towel and place it in a strainer over the sink. I put a cutting board on top of the tofu block and use cans of vegetables as my weights.
  • Toward the end of the tofu pressing, prepare the kale. Holding the thick stem with one hand, wrap your other hand around the base of the leaves and pull all the leaves off the stalk in one movement. Rinse all the loose kale, breaking into smaller pieces if necessary, and massage until you feel it soften and get fragrant. Set aside while you prep the tofu.
  • Once the tofu is pressed, slice it into small, thin rectangles. Whisk together the flour, a few generous dashes of garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl, then add the tofu and toss or stir to mix until the tofu is evenly coated.
  • Put a frying pan on over medium heat and add the kale. Cover with a lid and steam for 1-2 minutes, or until a vibrant green. Remove and set aside. With the pan still over medium heat, add the sesame oil and swirl the pan to coat evenly. Add the tofu in an even layer and let fry for 1-2 minutes undisturbed to let it develop a golden crust—do NOT stir. Flip and let cook another 1-2 minutes.
  • Whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey and taste using a piece of kale. Adjust seasoning to taste and toss with kale and carrot, if using. Add tofu, sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat!

Notes

I eat about 1/3-1/2 a package of tofu as a meal. If you don't eat all the tofu, save the leftovers and reheat the next day while you steam fresh kale before eating.

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Comments

  1. Jodi

    January 6, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    Just found this recipe. So simple and perfect! Thanks for sharing!

    • erika

      January 12, 2015 at 11:34 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Jodi! Thanks for visiting and for your sweet words! 🙂

  2. Brandi

    September 18, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    Things I love: rice vinegar, sesame oil, kale and carrots! Looks amazingly delicious! We can’t do tofu, but all these flavors are rocking and would still be incredible on kale and just veggies!

    • erika

      September 18, 2013 at 3:27 pm

      Brandi where have you been?? I feel like you’ve been MIA for months and I miss your healthy recipe posts!!

  3. Kristi @ My San Francisco Kitchen

    September 14, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    Just what I need – a healthy dish after all of the baking I have been doing lately! This is so perfect right now 🙂

    • erika

      September 18, 2013 at 3:29 pm

      Thanks Kristi! Same here!!

  4. Alex @ Brain, Body, Because

    September 13, 2013 at 12:34 am

    This looks so delicious and simple! Tofu is super cheap here, so I have been prepping tons of it just to keep in the frige for snacking.

    Unfortunately, kale is a little harder to come by, but I remember that my fave way to enjoy it at home was lightly baked into a chip! Have you tried it? Sooo good 🙂

    • erika

      September 19, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      Oh I’m so jeals. I’ve resisted buying tofu the past few times at the grocery store because it’s expensive!! Ha, we lead opposite lives 🙂 And you know what? I STILL have not tried making kale chips! I had them once at a friend’s house though and they were delish.

  5. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    September 12, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    Erika, I love this! I can’t believe how excited I am over a veggie dish. I’ve been eating super badly lately and my body is craving healthy veggies. This looks delicious. Thanks for the tip on pressing tofu. I’ve been buying extra firm just to get away from the sogginess of pan frying medium or soft tofu. I’ll definitely try doing that.

    • erika

      September 19, 2013 at 4:01 pm

      Oh, I was having the same problem! Pressing tofu is like magic!

  6. Stephanie

    September 12, 2013 at 8:47 am

    Yum! I have to try this asap. I’m always looking for new ways to try kale.

    • erika

      September 12, 2013 at 9:48 am

      As am I! Let me know if you have any favorites!

  7. Bam's Kitchen

    September 12, 2013 at 3:44 am

    I am going to have to start pressing my tofu from now on as this looks really delicious. I am still not a big fan of kale but spinach would be a great sub.

    • erika

      September 12, 2013 at 9:49 am

      Bam, pressing tofu will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. And I think you might need a bit more spinach since it wilts down a lot more than kale, but I would definitely give that a try!

  8. yummychunklet

    September 11, 2013 at 7:41 pm

    What a delicious and filling bowl!

  9. laurasmess

    September 11, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    I’m not a fan of tofu, normally. But this dish looks absolutely divine Erika! Love the crispy fried edges of the tofu intermingled with the soft, eggy bits. I hear you about the ‘dirt’ flavour of kale, so if you’re convinced then so am I!!! Thanks for this gorgeous recipe. Mmmmm, yum! xx

    • erika

      September 12, 2013 at 9:50 am

      Laura, that is a perfect description of the dish and you haven’t even tried it! <3 And yes, normally I am NOT a kale fan at all so for me to love this is big. Thank YOU for your lovely comment, as always!

  10. CCU

    September 11, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    I crave chinese saucy vegetables all the time, but this would more than satisfy that 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  11. Alex @ Cookie Dough Katzen

    September 11, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    I totally understand this craving. I crave veggies like this a lot. This looks delicious!

    • erika

      September 12, 2013 at 9:58 am

      Ugh I wish I craved veggies and stuff more often! Thanks Alex!

  12. Tahnycooks

    September 11, 2013 at 10:54 am

    I love bowls of delicious foods that are also full of awesome vitamins and nutrients! This dish is perfect! Great pics too.

    • erika

      September 12, 2013 at 9:58 am

      Thanks Tahny 🙂

  13. veganmiam.com

    September 11, 2013 at 10:27 am

    I love kale, I started to love it after my love affair with this recipe: http://veganmiam.com/recipes/salads/lacinato-kale-salad-with-dried-cranberries-cashews-apple-curried-dressing. If I haven’t tried this recipe, I wouldn’t try more kale recipes. Gorgeous dishes! Looks so good with the tofu and a bit of sesame oil. I use a TofuXpress (it saves me time & towels to use it) for pressing my tofu , you can read my review here: http://veganmiam.com/reviews/lifestyle-products/tofuxpress

  14. Sherrie

    September 11, 2013 at 10:21 am

    I have been loving your posts! Thank you for adding humor to my mornings. I can’t wait to try the Pan-fried Tofu and Kale bowl. The boys love kale and I am a tofu fan, so this could be a winner!

    It was great to see you, hope we can get together soon.

    • erika

      September 13, 2013 at 4:37 pm

      Thanks so much Sherrie! I hope you guys like it if you give it a try! And yes, I think I’ll be back sometime in December and Shikha and I definitely want to do another brunch or some kind of cooking extravaganza!

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