Vegan Fajita bowl with Birria Tofu

Cook Time 60 mins
Cooking Method: , , ,
Cuisine: , ,
Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 5
Description

Traditional Tex-Mex Fajita bowl recipe adapted for vegetarians/vegans with Birria Tofu, grilled veggies, and cilantro lime rice

 

Ingredients
    Cilantro lime rice
  • 1 cup Extra long rice / Basmati rice
  • 2 cup Water (For cooking the rice)
  • 3 tsp Lime juice
  • 5 Garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Oil
    • Pico de gallo
  • Onion - white / red (diced)
  • Tomatoes (Deseeded and diced)
  • Cilantro (chopped)
  • Salt
  • Serrano / Jalapeño peppers (Deseeded and minced)
  • Lime juice
    • Grilled veggies
  • 2 White onions (Long Slices cut vertically)
  • 2 Green bell peppers (Long Slices cut vertically)
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil
  • 1/2 Salt
    • For Birria Tofu
  • 28 oz Extra firm Tofu (2 Packs)
  • 4 tbsp Birria or other types of Mexican cooking sauce ( refer notes)
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil
    • Optional toppings
  • 1 cup Black beans
  • 1 cup Corn
  • 2 cup Lettuce (chopped)
  • 1 cup Grated Cheese - Monterey Jack Cheese / Mexican blend
Instructions
  1. 1
    Prepare the Birria Tofu
    • Remove the Tofu from the Pack and dry it with a towel by squeezing it. We want the Tofu to be as dry as possible.
    • Cut the Tofu into ½ inch cubes
    • Keep a non-stick frying pan on the stove at medium-high
    • Add the cooking oil and mix the Tofu cubes so as to coat all the cubes with oil uniformly
    • Keep stirring once every minute with the stove on medium-high
    • After about 15 minutes, The Tofu will start to change color and turn crispy on the outer layer. 
    • When the Tofu pieces have turned crispy and light brown in color, add the Birria sauce or any other type of Mexican cooking sauce
    • Stir well to coat all the Tofu pieces uniformly with the sauce
    • Remove from heat
  2. 2
    Prepare the pico de gallo
    • Take a separate mixing bowl and add all the ingredients listed in the Pico de gallo ingredients section
    • Mix well. Taste. Adjust the salt and lime juice.
  3. 3
    Cooking the rice
    • Clean the rice with cold water 
    • Keep a medium-size stockpot on the stove and add the water as per the quantity mentioned in the ingredients
    • Bring the water to boil
    • Add the rice, salt, and half of the cooking oil
    • Stir well, close the lid and let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes
    • After 15 minutes, open the lid and stir once.  Close the lid and let the rice simmer for another 3 minutes.
    • Turn off the stove and let the rice bake in the steam for some more time. 
    • The rice will be ready in 10 more minutes
  4. 4
    Preparing the Cilantro lime rice
    • Chop the garlic into thin slices
    • Take a non-stick Sauté pan. Pour the remaining oil and add the garlic slices
    • Fry the garlic until they turn light brown and start to give out a nice roasted smell
    • Add the cooked rice , lime juice and cilantro and mix well
    • Cilantro lime rice is now ready to serve
  5. 5
    Pan-seared onions and green bell peppers (Roasted)
    • Cut the onions and bell peppers into thin slices lengthwise (about 4 mm thick)
    • Keep a  frying pan on the stove at high heat ( highest level of flame)
    • When the pan is hot, add the onions. Sprinkle 1 Tsp of oil
    • Stir until the oil coats uniformly 
    • Let the onion cook on high heat. Stir every 45 seconds. We want to get a nice char and smokey flavor on the onions. 
    • Once the onions start to turn brown ( it will take 2-3 minutes on high heat) and get charring on the edges, remove from heat.  
    • The secret of getting the right flavor of grilled onions is to maintain the high heat so that the onions don't get soft while the outer layer is burnt.
    • Repeat the process for Green bell peppers.
  6. 6
    Serving the Fajita
    • Take a serving bowl
    • Add ½ cup of Cilantro lime rice and spread it flat on the base of the bowl
    • Add desired quantity of toppings - Birria Tofu, grilled veggies, pico de gallo
    • Add other optional toppings: Black beans, Corn, chopped Lettuce, grated Cheese - Monterey Jack Cheese / Mexican blend
Notes
  • If you don't want to take the trouble of preparing Birria sauce from scratch, you can easily customize this recipe. One option is to make crispy stir-fried Tofu and coating it with Mexican seasonings and/or any type of Mexican cooking sauces/bases that are available in grocery stores. Some recommendations would be Mole sauces, Guajillo Chile sauce, Pasilla Chile sauce, Chipotle sauce, Salsa Taquera or Salsa Verde.

 

  • Other optional toppings: Black beans, Corn, chopped Lettuce, grated Cheese - Monterey Jack Cheese / Mexican blend

 

Keywords: Fajita, Cilantro, Birria, Vegetarian, Mexican, Vegan, Tex-Mex, Rice, Bowl,
Read it online: https://www.mellowmasala.com/recipe/vegan-fajita-bowl-with-birria-tofu/
Vinay Mummigatti

I love traveling, cooking, and reading. This blog is a reflection of my passion for cooking. Food is a representation of culture and I have tried to assimilate foods from different cultures across the world. I am an Indian by birth who moved to the USA 20 years back. I hope my recipes and articles bring new experiences and joy to the readers. Please share your comments and feedback.