Vegan Bunny Elle

Turn your tofu into these umami, soft, savory, and “meaty” tofu balls braised in a refreshing and nourishing broth.

This is definitely one of the most comforting meal I’ve ever made. Bite into the tender but firm tofu balls, your teeth will be greeted with the delightful crunch from the vegetables in them, slurp up some flavorful broth as loudly as you can, and pour some broth over a bowl of steaming white rice – that, my friend, is a cure for any gloomy weather or gloomy mood.

It is inspired by the traditional Chinese braised meatballs, or sometimes called “lion’s heads”. Don’t worry, there isn’t any lion’s meat in it, the traditional Chinese meatballs are usually made of minced pork, vegetables, eggs, flour for binding, and seasoning.

For the vegan version, I swapped out the meat with tofu for the protein base, kept the fresh veggies in the mixture, and opted for arrowroot powder for binding and it worked perfectly, the tofu balls held their shapes proudly, even after tossing and turning in the bubbling, simmering broth for a long time!

Chinese Style Braised Tofu Balls

Try a fun new way to eat tofu and make it into these meaty, flavorful, hardy and juicy tofu balls! Plus a pot of broth so comforting and delicious you’ll gonna need extra rice to soak up every last drop of yumminess.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the tofu balls

• 1 block 14oz extra firm tofu
• 4 oz shiitake mushroom finely chopped
• 1 small carrot finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut amino
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• Pinch of salt

For the stew

• 3 cups chopped napa cabbage
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 oz shiitake mushroom
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 scallions sliced
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon coconut amino
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• Salt to taste

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F;
2. Drain and place tofu block in a cheesecloth, and wring out as much water as possible, do it multiple times until you can’t wring out any more liquid, DO NOT skip this step!
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix squeezed tofu crumbles, chopped carrots, celeries, shiitake mushrooms, and all the seasonings and arrowroot powder, mix till well combined;
4. Form the mixture into balls, I got 15 balls but depends on how big you want them, transfer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake for about 15 minutes till golden brown;
5. Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a casserole pot or a ceramic pot over medium-high heat, sauté the scallions and garlic till aromatic, then add in the carrots and shiitake mushrooms, cook till carrots are soft and the mushrooms have let out the moisture, about 5 minutes;
6. Add the napa cabbage, sauté till the leaves are soft, add in the vinegar, tamari sauce, and coconut amino, continue to cook for about 3 minutes till sauce is well combined and absorbed;
7. Slowly pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil;
8. Arrange the baked tofu balls on the top, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with the lid again, let it simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, check and stir frequently;
9. Serve hot with steamed rice, enjoy!