Lemon-herb tofu with Mediterranean rice
Herb-roasted tofu with rice, courgette and parsley.
About 45 min · 470 kcal · 31 g protein per serving
Vegan
Silken tofu with soy, ginger and chive
Cold silken tofu with a warm soy and ginger dressing.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 20 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the block turns out intact from a standard 400 g pack
- Photograph the finished plate
- Time
- About 30 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 415 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 21 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains gluten, soya. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- soy sauce. Most soy sauce contains wheat. Tamari is the usual wheat-free alternative; check the label.
Cooking steps
Cook the rice and let it cool a little.
Drain the tofu and turn the block out onto a plate rather than lifting it with a spatula. Cut it into thick slices where it lies.
Warm the oil in a small pan over low heat with the grated ginger for 1 minute, until it smells fragrant but has not coloured.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the soy sauce. It will spit; that is expected.
Spoon the warm dressing over the tofu and scatter with the chives. Serve with the rice and the cucumber, dressed with the lime juice.
The useful detail
Turn the block out onto the plate and cut it there. Silken tofu has almost no structure, and any attempt to lift slices with a spatula ends with it in pieces.
Make it work for you
One serving is 200 g of tofu with half the rice and cucumber. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Firm tofu instead of silken
Much firmer and far easier to handle, with more than twice the protein.
Per serving: about 165 kcal more, about 20 g more protein, about 10 g more fat.
Lemon juice instead of lime
Rounder and less floral.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Tamari instead of soy sauce
The same flavour, usually wheat-free.
Allergens: Check the label if you avoid gluten.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
The lightest plant dish in this collection, and the most useful on a day when nothing solid appeals, because silken tofu takes almost no chewing.
| Energy | 415 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 21 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| of which saturates | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 57 g |
| of which sugars | 4 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Sodium | 470 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| white rice | 120 g | FDC 168877Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched | 438 kcal | 8.6 g |
| silken tofu | 400 g | FDC 172449Tofu, soft, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)Calculated with FoodData Central's soft tofu record, the closest it holds to silken tofu. | 244 kcal | 28.7 g |
| rapeseed or other neutral oil | 9 g | FDC 172336Oil, canola | 81 kcal | 0.0 g |
| fresh ginger | 20 g | FDC 169231Ginger root, raw | 16 kcal | 0.4 g |
| soy sauce | 25 g | FDC 172473Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu), low sodium | 14 kcal | 2.3 g |
| chives | 10 g | FDC 169994Chives, raw | 3 kcal | 0.3 g |
| cucumber | 200 g | FDC 168409Cucumber, with peel, raw | 30 kcal | 1.3 g |
| lime juice | 15 g | FDC 168156Lime juice, raw | 4 kcal | 0.1 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 830 kcal | 41.6 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Keep any leftover tofu in fresh cold water in the fridge and use within 3 to 4 days. The dressing keeps separately for the same time.
- Reheating
- Not needed; this is served cool with a warm dressing.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Creamy roasted pepper tofu pasta
Pasta in a smooth roasted pepper and silken tofu sauce.
About 25 min · 355 kcal · 18 g protein per serving
Vegan