Loaded with vibrant veggies and topped with crispy hoisin tofu, this rice noodle bowl is a delicious and nutritious feast for the eyes! Drizzle a light soy-lime sauce over your spring roll bowl and serve with fresh herbs and chopped peanuts to create a balanced meal bursting with flavor!
I absolutely love spring rolls, but sometimes just don’t have the patience to roll up dozens of the goodie-filled wrappers — enter this easy and delicious spring roll noodle bowl! It’s got all of the fresh veggies and herbs, your favorite noodles and crispy tofu smothered in a hoisin sauce! And of course, we’ve got a light soy-lime sauce to tie all of our ingredients together into one big bowl of happiness!
crispy tofu!
I know there are a lot of different tips and tricks out there for getting the crispiest tofu and I have definitely tried my fair share of them! But I always find myself coming back to one of the easiest methods: simply coating the tofu in a bit of cornstarch, frying it in olive oil and adding the tofu glaze after it has already developed the crunchy exterior.
To ensure that this method works for you, make sure to buy firm or extra firm tofu and press it for at least half an hour before cooking. Pressing the tofu helps to drain it of any excess water, which creates a crispier crust and allows the tofu to soak up more glaze! After opening and draining the tofu, simply wrap it in a kitchen towel, place it on a rimmed plate (to catch the water) and place something heavy on top (like a cast iron skillet or heavy cans).
hoisin tofu glaze + soy-lime sauce
The flavors that really bring this spring roll bowl together come from the tofu glaze and the soy-lime sauce that you can drizzle over your noodles right before eating. The tofu glaze is made with just hoisin sauce (this is the brand of hoisin that we use), soy sauce, honey, garlic and sriracha! Feel free to substitute the sriracha with your favorite hot sauce and adjust the spiciness to taste!
The soy-lime sauce is completely optional, but only takes a few minutes to whip up and really brings the whole dish together. If you decide not to make it, you can always just drizzle a bit of soy sauce and lime over your finished noodle bowls — super simple and still incredibly delicious!
make the spring roll bowl of your dreams!
Now it’s time to put it all together! This dish really lends itself to adaptation — we usually go for rice or glass noodles and then add whatever veggies we have in the fridge. It’s a great way to use up leftover ingredients at the end of the week! While my favorite additions are cucumbers, carrots and red cabbage (so many vibrant colors!), you could also mix in red peppers, radishes or broccoli!
For the herbs, I like to use mint and cilantro, but fresh basil would also work really well here. And don’t forget the crunchy toppings — chopped peanuts and crispy shallots are both great options!
ingredients
- rice noodles 8 oz (220 g)
crispy tofu
- extra firm tofu 14 oz (400 g)
- cornstarch 2 tbsp
- olive oil 1 tbsp
- minced garlic 2 cloves
- hoisin sauce 4 tbsp
- soy sauce 1.5 tbsp
- honey ½ tbsp
- sriracha ½ tbsp
soy-lime sauce
- hot water ½ c (120 ml)
- soy sauce 1.5 tbsp
- lime juice 1 tbsp
- honey 1 tbsp
- rice vinegar 1 tbsp
toppings
- - carrots
- - cucumber
- - red cabbage
- - fresh mint and cilantro
- - peanuts
instructions
crispy tofu
- Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Wrap the tofu in a kitchen towel and place something heavy on top (such as a cast iron skillet) for at least 30 minutes to draw out excess water. It helps to place a plate underneath to catch any liquid.
- Cut your tofu into ½ inch cubes (1.5 cm) and place in a bowl. Coat evenly with cornstarch.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and cook until brown on all sides (10-15 minutes). Stir every few minutes.
- While the tofu is cooking, mix together the remaining ingredients for the tofu (garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey and sriracha). Once the tofu is crispy, turn the heat to low and add the sauce to the pan. Mix to coat evenly. Cook for an additional two minutes.
sauce + assembly
- Combine all ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions.
- Layer each bowl with rice noodles, tofu and your favorite combination of veggies. Top with a bit of soy-lime sauce and enjoy!
Did You Make This Recipe?
This post may contain affiliate links through which we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that we genuinely love and would use ourselves.
