Black Bean & Crispy Tofu Burrito Rice Bowl

What you need

• Saucepan
• Large non-stick frying pan or air fryer
• 4 meal-prep containers

Ingredients

• 2 tinsblack beans— about 600 g drained, 150 g per bowl
• 600 gfirm tofu— about 150 g per bowl, pressed
• 240 grice— weighed dry
• 400 gchopped tomatoes— one tin
• 1 (about 150 g)onion, finely chopped
• 2peppers, diced
• 200 gsweetcorn— tinned or frozen
• 3 clovesgarlic, grated
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsmoked paprika
• 3 tbsp (about 24 g)cornflour
• 2limes— zest and juice, plus wedges to serve
• 4 tspoil
• 1 handfulcoriander, chopped
• 1 tspsalt— plus pepper and chilli to taste

How to make it

1. 1

   Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes under something heavy. Water left in the block is the single reason tofu steams instead of crisping.

2. 2

   Cook the rice according to the packet, then fold through the zest of one lime and half the coriander — that is the lime rice, and it costs nothing.

3. 3

   Soften the onion and peppers in 2 teaspoons of oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and smoked paprika for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes, beans and sweetcorn. Simmer 10 minutes until thick, and finish with lime juice, salt, pepper and chilli.

4. 4

   Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes and toss them in the cornflour with a pinch of salt and paprika until every face looks dry.

5. 5

   In a pan: fry the cubes in the remaining oil over medium-high heat, 3–4 minutes a side, turning them only when they release by themselves. In an air fryer: 200 °C for 15 minutes, shaking the basket once.

6. 6

   Build the bowls with lime rice, beans and tofu, and finish with coriander and a lime wedge. A quarter of an avocado on top is excellent and adds about 80 kcal and 7 g of fat.

7. 7

   The bean sauce keeps 4 days and is better on day two; it also freezes on its own for 3 months. Freeze it without rice or tofu — reheat the tofu 3 minutes in a hot pan or the air fryer rather than the microwave, or you get the texture of a wet sponge.

Per serving, roughly

Energy

~680 kcal

Protein

~40 g

Carbs

~85 g

Fat

~16 g

These are estimates calculated from standard ingredient values. Your numbers will shift with the exact products you buy and with how generously you fill the plate — oil, sauces and cheese move them the most.

Variations