Asian Salad Rice Bowls

Thank you Village Harvest for sponsoring this post. Every day Village Harvest is planting seeds of change and growing possibilities, one bag of goodness at a time.

Hearty doesn't always mean heavy- point in case when it comes to these Asian Salad Rice Bowls which are perfect for when you're craving something wholesome and satisfying. Be sure to click the image below to find your new favorite ready-to-serve-rice from the Village Harvest Origins Collection!

"Everything is simply taken one step at a time," the saying goes, or "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step," and so forth. This isn't to say that 'literally' everything is simple, but that perhaps there is a 'veiled simplicity' waiting to be discovered by those with the patience to look.

To that point, I wrote recently about a set of classes given by Chef Wolfgang Puck, and I wrote about his approach to cooking, and how he made the fundamentals of the kitchen seem so easy, even from his lofty culinary vantage point. This is topic of simplicity is one I've returned to time and time again, and as you might have guessed I'm returning to it again today.

To start off, we've spoken a lot about 'what' we eat, about putting together meals that are both healthy and delicious within the span of a tight 'modern' schedule, but in such themed recipes, what about the presentation?

That said, one of my favorite summer presentations is the simple 'rice bowl.' This dish ranges from mushy fast food served in paper cups to veritable works of art at finer establishments. Today, we're going to try to lean more towards the latter, while still keeping the recipe within the realm of something 'accessible,' something delicious, fun, and 'schedule friendly' - but something that also 'looks' fantastic. After all, "We eat first with our eyes."

First and foremost, we begin with the bowl itself, which we're making the star of the show today. Yes, fancy tableware is always fine and good, but to add a big dose of color as well as a bit of extra crunch we're instead 'plating' the rice in a piece of firm red cabbage.

Now, to start things off we're going to begin by preparing two separate marinades, both using the same ingredients and prep method outlined below. One is for the chicken, the other as a dressing for the salad. No, you cannot use the marinade from the chicken for the salad - germs.

After that, we're going to prepare the rice. For today's recipe I'm using Village Harvest Thai Green Curry - Thailand rice, which is from the Village Harvest Origins Collection, a collection featuring authentic recipes from India and Thailand, "Uncovered in the kitchens of home cooks and perfected on your dinner table." As a plus, the rice is organic and non-GMO, 100% whole grain and gluten-free. The Origins Collection also includes Basmati & Lentil - India, Lemon Rice - India, Tikka Masala - India, and Coconut Turmeric - Thailand, enough variety to ignite your appetite and discover the delicious side of dinner with Village Harvest Origins, a smart and simple meal solution you can bring to life in just seconds. Furthermore, the facilities use clean processing techniques that kettle cook all ingredients in small batches.

After the rice has been prepared, we thinly slice about two pounds of chicken breast as shown below. After slicing the chicken, place the chicken in a bowl and pour one of the marinades over the chicken. If time permits let the chicken sit in the marinade, in the fridge, for about thirty minutes. Now, heat a large cast iron frying pan, and set the chicken into the pan a few slices at a time, and cook them for about one to two minutes on each side - depending on the thickness of the slices. The chicken should be white on the inside, and juices run clear.

Once the chicken is finished, use the same the pan to give a gentle grilling to about two bunches of scallions, and once they are done lightly grill the shitake mushrooms as shown below, and set both aside for assembling the bowls.

Now to the fun part - assembling the bowls.

Begin by placing a firm piece of red cabbage inside of a medium to large soup bowl as shown below. This will keep the cabbage leaf intact and upright. Start out with about two scoops of rice, or until the cabbage leaf is about two-thirds of the way full. Then add in the carrot slices, as shown below, followed by the cucumbers, the bean sprouts, the shitake mushrooms, shredded cabbage, and the water chestnuts. Then top the bowl with the sliced grilled chicken, and very carefully lift the cabbage leaf from the bowl and plate with grilled scallions.

Drizzle with some of the dressing, and serve immediately, and you're done - and just like that, you've got convenience without compromise.

Asian Salad Rice Bowl

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• Author: Living the Gourmet
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Category: Main Dish

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 package of Village Harvest Thai Green Curry
• 1 - 2 lbs. of chicken breast - sliced thin

Marinade:

• 4 tbs. Teriyaki sauce
• 4 tbs. soy sauce
• 3 tbs. honey
• 2 tbs. Siracha hot sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic - chopped fine
• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger - chopped fine
• 2 tbs. sesame oil
• 2 tbs. sesame seeds
• *Make a second batch of the marinade as a dressing for the salad bowl. DO NOT USE THE MARINADE FROM THE CHICKEN!!

For the Salad Bowl:

• 2 bunches of fresh scallions - gently grilled
• Fresh carrots - sliced into matchsticks
• Shitake Mushrooms - gently grilled
• Cucumber - cut into matchsticks
• Bean Sprouts
• Water Chestnuts
• White cabbage - shredded
• Red cabbage - carefully opened into large leaves to use as bowls

Instructions

For the Rice:

1. Prepare the rice as directed after the chicken is cooked.

For the Marinade and Chicken:

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and mix.
2. Place the thin sliced chicken breast in a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the chicken and seal. Let the chicken marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
3. Heat a large cast-iron frying pan and place a few pieces of chicken in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan.
4. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how thinly sliced the chicken is. The chicken should be white on the inside and the juices should run clear.
5. When the chicken is finished grilling, using the same pan, gently grill the scallions to a light golden and set aside.
6. In the same pan, gently grill the Shiitake mushrooms and set aside for the salad bowl.
7. Tip: Make a second batch of the marinade as a dressing for the salad bowl.

To Build the salad bowl:

1. Place the cabbage leaf inside a similarly sized bowl.
2. Place about two scoops of rice at the bottom of the bowl.
3. Place some carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, Shiitake mushrooms, shredded cabbage and water chestnuts around the perimeter of the bowl.
4. Top the bowl with sliced grilled chicken. Gently, lift the filled cabbage leaf from the bowl and plate with the grilled scallions.
5. Drizzle the fresh marinade over the bowl. Remember do not use the marinade from the chicken make a second batch!!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Enjoy with Love!