Swimming Rama Bowl with Tofu (Pra Ram Tofu)

This Swimming Rama tofu bowl is an everything-in-a-bowl meal that you can put together in less than 15 minutes. This mouth-watering dish uses a mixture of textures, with fresh greens and crunchy vegetables, soft savory noodles, and crispy baked tofu, topped with a peanut sauce that adds a sweet and savory flavor burst to every bite.

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or simply looking for a meat-free meal that your whole family will love, this dish is sure to satisfy. So, come and take a dive into the scrumptiousness of a Swimming Rama tofu bowl!

a bowl with tofu, peanut sauce noodles, broccoli, and other vegetables.
Jump to:

Ingredients

peanut butter, garlic clove, lime, soy sauce, and other ingredients for peanut sauce on countertop.

 
  • Peanut sauce
  • Crispy baked tofu – make your own or buy your favorite ready-to-eat tofu.
  • Udon noodles – Udon are Japanese wheat noodles with a chewy texture. You can sub Thai rice noodles, but be careful not to overcook them.
  • Sliced red peppers and radishes.
  • Raw spinach
  • Garnished and finished with any combo of cilantro, toasted peanuts, and lime juice.

If you’re just here for the peanut butter, check out the peanut butter Rice Krispie treats or these peanut butter waffles. Or search the archives for treats with both peanut butter and chocolate like these double peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and substitutions

  • Sub another protein, like cooked chicken, for the tofu.
  • Use different greens like chard or kale, or lightly cook the spinach to soften it.
  • Add broccoli or snow peas or green beans.
  • Serve over rice instead of noodles.

Recipe tips and tricks

About Swimming Rama (Pra Ram)

Swimming Rama is a Thai dish made with spinach, peanut sauce, and often with chicken or another protein. This Swimming Rama tofu bowl goes meat-free with tofu and subs noodles for the rice commonly served with Pra Ram.

Making the Swimming Rama tofu bowl

The general principle of creating your own bowl recipes is to pick your favorite grain, rice, or noodle. Choose a protein, add vegetables, and top with some garnishes and a sauce or vinaigrette. The goal is to select a variety of colors, flavors, and textures.

a sheet pan with the swimming rama tofu bowl ingredients.

You can buy pre-baked tofu or make your own crispy baked tofu. Making it will add some time for pressing and baking the tofu. If you make it ahead of time, toast it in the oven for 15 minutes or so to make it crispy again.

crispy baked tofu cubes in a pan lined with parchment.

While the tofu is baking, prepare the Swimming Rama peanut sauce and other ingredients for the tofu bowl. To make the peanut sauce, combine all of the ingredients over low heat until the sauce has thickened. Adjust flavors as necessary.

To cook the noodles, bring a pot of water to boil. When the noodles have barely cooked through, drain them, rinse with cold water, and add them back to the pot. Stir peanut sauce into the noodles to prevent them from sticking. You also get more flavor by finishing your noodles in the peanut sauce, just as you should always do when making pasta.

Serve warm. You can either compose and serve finished bowls, or let people serve themselves what they want from a selection of ingredients.

What to serve with this Swimming Rama tofu bowl

This Swimming Rama bowl is an all-in-one meal, but here are a few additional items you might want:

Recipe FAQs

Is Swimming Rama the same thing as showering rama?

Nope. I make that mistake also. Either way, swimming or showering in peanut sauce sounds pretty good to me.

How should I store leftover peanut sauce?

Homemade peanut sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for about one week. To reheat stored peanut sauce, simply place the sauce in a pan over low heat. You may need to add a small amount of water or broth to thin it out for reheating.

What can I do with leftover peanut sauce?

Who has leftover peanut sauce? Serve with crudité or just eat it with a spoon! Or how about with a simple pan roasted chicken breast? Or use it as a base for a Swimming Rama pizza.

a swimming rama tofu bowl and set of chopsticks.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

Swimming Rama Tofu Bowl

5 from 1 vote
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: thai
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 573kcal
This Swimming Rama tofu bowl is a Thai-inspired everything-in-a-bowl meal with a mixture of textures, colors, and flavors. There are few things better than a sweet and spicy peanut sauce that comes together in less than 15 minutes and just makes everything taste delicious.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Peanut sauce

  • 1 cup peanut butter smooth or crunchy, ok to use natural peanut butters here
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • hot sauce to taste

Swimming Rama tofu bowl

  • 1 recipe (14 ounces) crispy baked tofu homemade or store-bought
  • 8 ounces udon or rice noodles cooked per package directions
  • 1 head broccoli florets chopped into bite sized pieces and steamed until tender
  • 5 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 radishes thinly sliced
  • optional garnishes: chopped toasted peanuts, lime wedge, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro

Instructions

Peanut sauce

  • Mix all ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over low heat just until smooth.
    1 cup peanut butter, ½ cup coconut milk, ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 clove garlic, minced, hot sauce to taste
  • Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator.

Swimming Rama tofu bowl

  • Make the optional crispy baked tofu.
    1 recipe (14 ounces) crispy baked tofu
  • Prepare the noodles per package directions, drain, and return to the pot. Stir in some of the peanut sauce to prevent sticking and to increase the flavor of the noodles.
    8 ounces udon or rice noodles
  • If serving as composed bowls, layer the spinach on the bottom of your bowl. Add the noodles, tofu, broccoli, and other vegetables in a quadrant of the bowl.
    1 head broccoli florets, 5 ounces baby spinach, 1 red bell pepper, chopped, 2 radishes
  • Garnish with your chosen garnishes, or serve the garnishes on a plate for people to garnish as they desire. Serve warm.
    optional garnishes: chopped toasted peanuts, lime wedge, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro

Notes

Making the crispy baked tofu recipe for this Swimming Rama tofu bowl will add an hour to the cooking time.
The technique of finishing the noodles in the peanut sauce is one to use for all pasta dishes.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 1519mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 4322IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg
Love this recipe?Mention @Uglyducklingbakery or tag #uglyducklingbakery!

This Swimming Rama tofu bowl was first posted on January 25, 2021. It was last updated April 18, 2023.

You’re an adventurous home cook looking for inspiration in your weeknight meals and weekend baking. Get that inspiration here:

2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Really enjoyed this! Super easy to put together, and so healthy and delicious. The peanut sauce made the dish! Thanks!!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.