Mango-Chili Tofu and Rice
Freeze-dried tofu, dried mango, and a chutney-chili sauce packet over instant rice.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Firm tofu, pressed and dehydrated | 1 cup dried | from about 8 oz fresh; press hard before drying |
|---|---|---|
| Instant brown rice | 3/4 cup | quick-cooking, not regular brown rice |
| Dried mango | 1/4 cup | chopped small so it rehydrates |
| Dried red bell pepper | 1/4 cup | |
| Mango chutney | 2 tbsp | one squeeze packet, or dried into leather and crumbled |
| Chili garlic sauce | 1 tsp | a packet or a small screw-top vial |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1/2 tsp | |
| Red pepper flakes | 1/4 tsp | |
| Grapeseed or other cooking oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Black sesame seeds | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- Boil 500 ml of water. Add the rice, tofu, mango, bell pepper, garlic powder, ginger, pepper flakes, and salt all at once.
- Boil one minute, then kill the stove and put the lid on. Insulate the pot with a jacket or sit-pad.
- Wait ten minutes. The tofu takes longer than the rice, so do not cut this short.
- Stir in the chutney, chili garlic sauce, and oil. If it looks dry, add hot water a splash at a time.
- Scatter the sesame seeds on top and eat out of the pot.
The original is a skillet dish: press the tofu, fry it in oil until crisp, stir-fry fresh pepper, then coat it all in sauce. None of that survives a trail kitchen. Crisp does not keep, and fresh mango and bell pepper are water you carry uphill. So this version dries the tofu and the produce at home and rebuilds the dish as one pot of hot soak.
Pressing still matters, just for a different reason. Tofu that goes into the dehydrator wet dries slowly and rehydrates into something spongy. Press it hard, dice it small, and it comes back chewy enough to read as protein. The chutney and chili sauce go in at the end, off heat, because sugar scorches on a stove that only has one setting.
Packing
Rice, tofu, mango, pepper, and spices go in one freezer bag at home. Chutney and chili sauce ride in packets or small vials; oil in a dropper bottle. Sesame seeds in a corner-of-a-bag twist tie.
Variations
- No dehydrator: buy freeze-dried tofu cubes and dried mango, and skip the home prep entirely.
- Swap instant brown rice for ramen noodles if you want it faster and cheaper.
- A packet of soy sauce sharpens it if the chutney is on the sweet side.
https://ohmyveggies.com/mango-chili-tofu-stir-fry-a-guest-post-for-better-homes-gardens