Harissa tofu! Where have you been all my life?
My god, this Harissa sauce is addictive. It is so uniquely flavored and incredible, it is hard to describe. Roasted red peppers are the base of this spicy and perfect sauce. Cumin, coriander and caraway make is fragrant and so damn delicious. It goes with tofu like peanut butter goes with jelly. However, this Harissa sauce is so insanely amazing it would be great on anything. Chickpeas would rock, broccoli and cauliflower would be explosive, tempeh would be to die for.
Tofu is the way to go for me though. Now let’s talk about the very good decision to pair this Harissa tofu with pistachio couscous. I honestly can’t think of a better combination. The couscous is just lightly dressed in lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Then tossed with pistachios. The entire meal is so well balanced, I could not stop eating it.
I just kept walking by and taking a bite and then finding an excuse to walk back by to take another. Then my husband tasted it, and started doing the same until the entire meal was gone. I have no regrets. Also, if you are going to eat a lot of something, just tofu sauteed with a red pepper sauce is a pretty healthy thing to eat a lot of.
I want to talk a little more about the Harissa sauce. This is in no way completely authentic. I did quite a bit if research and came up with what I thought was the most delicious, easy and closely flavored and had the essential ingredients. I wanted to have ingredients that are easy to find and and reasonably cheap!
I am thrilled with the out come, I could put this Harissa on everything! This meal takes less than 30 minutes, just puree the sauce, saute the tofu and cook the couscous. That is it! I am a huge fan of Israeli couscous, and it only takes like 12 minutes to cook! BOOM! So amazing!
Vegan Harissa Tofu with Pistachio Couscous
Ingredients
Harissa Tofu
Pistachio Couscous
- 1 1/3 C. Couscous, I used Israeli Couscous
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/2 C. Pistachios, chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by cutting your tofu into cubes. Then lay them on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and place another paper towel on top. Then something heavy on top and press the tofu while you make the Harissa.
- In a food processor, add the roasted red peppers, garlic, the 1/4 C. olive oil, cumin, coriander, caraway seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, agave and lemon juice. Use either 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes or 1 tsp. depending on how spicy you want it.
- Puree the sauce until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. May take a minute or 2. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt, taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
- Now start the couscous, cook according to package instructions(my package had 1 1/3 cups, but just use as much as you have).
- Once the couscous is going, start the tofu. Heat the 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a cast iron or non stick pan on medium high. Add the tofu, and brown the tofu on all sides, it will take a minute or 2 on each side.
- Once the tofu is brown and firm, add about half the harissa sauce to the pan with the tofu. Toss to coat, reduce heat to low. Add a bit more sauce a little at a time until it is as saucy as you want it(you don't have to use all of the sauce).
- Cook another minute or so, just to heat the sauce. Remove from heat.
- Once the couscous is done, add the olive oil, lemon juice, pistachios and a bit of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, add couscous to a bowl and top with tofu!
Notes
I had everything on hand to make the pistachio couscous, and you are right it is delicious. Harissa is a favorite so I’ll be coming back to this to make the whole dish. Thank you!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make this at home. I love harissa and love finding new recipes that use it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! I hope you like it!
I made this last night and was not disappointed. I have been vegetarian for a long time now and am trying to incorporate more vegan meals into my diet. I roasted garlic and onion with the peppers and added some chipotle peppers for an added kick. The balance was perfect and I’m excited to try some more of your recipes!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it and your additions to the sauce sound amazing!❤
Going to make this tonight! I am optimistic for once, about cooking with tofu. No matter what I do, it always comes out rather bland, and sometimes soggy. I bought two blocks: one plain, one smoked. Will use both.
oh my gosh, this is so good! l made it with brown rice bc I’m gluten intolerant and it was a great replacement. I also added roasted cauliflower which was yum. this is definitely a staple in our rotation of meals now! thanks 😁
Brown rice and cauliflower sound amazing! You are so welcome!
Do you think the sauce would be ok without the olive oil? Can I substitute with water? I can’t have cooked oils..
Totally. I think it would still be great without the oil! Water would probably work, but I like to use veggie broth as an oil replacement just for a little more flavor. Either way should work!
I usually never leave comments on recipes, but this straight up blew my mind (and my fiancé’s). It’s SO GOOD! We’ve both been vegan for 2+ years and we’ve tried just about every recipe out there.. this is in our top 3. So easy to make and it has so much flavor.
You just made my day! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed!!
Wow…yum! It was so easy to make, just tossed the tofu in arrowroot first (cornflower would work), so ended up with crispy sticky harrisa tofu. Will be adding this to the recipe rotation for sure!
How do you recommend roasting the peppers? (How many, baking instructions, etc), preferably oil free 🙂 Making this tomorrow! Thank you!
I generally just used jarred roasted red peppers to save time, and it makes it a lot easier. However, if you want to make them yourself, I think 2 peppers would probably be the right amount, and to make roasted red peppers, you char the outside of them. The only way I have done it is to use an open flame. It works on a grill or if you have a gas stove with a flame. You char the entire outside and then peel off the skins.
this is absolutely delicious! what a great recipe and i loved the pistachio couscous. I’d love to make this for my friends yet they are not fans of tofu. Do you think tempeh would work?
Thank you!
Do you think this recipe would be ok cold or room temp? It sounds amazing and I’m thinking of making it for my lunch this week, but I have no way of heating anything up as I eat in the car traveling from one job to the other. Thanks!!
I have actually eaten it right out of the fridge before without warming it up and it is still crazy delicious!
I tasted it when it was warm and it was AMAZING!!! To my delight, it was equally as epic when I ate it right out of my cooler. I roasted a head of cauliflower w/ cumin, salt and olive oil to add to it which was a delightful addition. This is the first recipe I’ve made of yours, but I’ve sung its praises to the world and will be making many more in the future. Thanks for such deliciousness!!!
This was exquisite! TY so much!
Another winning recipe from you! Super flavorful sauce, and loved the crunch from the pistachios.
Thank you for giving us an alternative to the usual tofu and rice stir fry. All the recipes I’ve made from you so far have been easy, few ingredients, unique and delicious!
Have you made this with Trader Joe’s ready-made harissa? Would anything in the recipe need to be changed?
I have not tried that, but it should work just the same!
This sounds and looks incredible. What kind of pistachios did you use? Roasted and salted?
Raw?
I use roasted and salted pistachios!
Thank you! I went ahead and bought *just that* this morning before even seeing your comment here this afternoon. I’m making this tonight and am super-psyched!
Absolutely amazing! I used a large red pepper for low waste and roasted it under my broiler (otherwise charring it on a stove in a pan works fairly well if you don’t have a gas stove) and turned it periodically to char it. Then I pulled off the skin before tossing it into the food processor. One of the fastest meals I’ve made in a long time—and SUPER flavorful! Thank you!!
Hi! This recipe sounds amazing. I have Harissa powder on hand. What would you recommend to make the sauce? Just add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt with the agave?
Thanks!
This has been a go-to recipe for my family for years- a fan favorite. Not only is it packed with flavor, but it is so quick to make too! Love it!
This was really good! I added roasted cauliflower and chopped tomatoes. I usually buy canned harissa but after making it homemade for this recipe, I don’t know if I can go back!
About how much harissa does this end up making/how much do you typically use? I have a jar I got from a local middle eastern restaurant but am not sure how much would make sense to use on a block of tofu
I’m actually not sure exactly how much this would make in cups. I would think about 1 cup, but I would recommend adding as much as you want. You could start with 1/2 cup and add more to your desired sauciness!
Looks good but harissa is the missing ingredient.
This recipe includes homemade Harissa sauce. All the ingredients in the recipe make the Harissa.