After posting about the dietary changes I made to improve my health and assist in my weight loss goals, I received messages about recipes. Since I love cooking, sharing my newfound passion here was something I wanted to do. However, since food never was the primary focus of the blog nor am I a chef, I thought people wouldn’t be interested. Surprise! Having a personal blog means never apologizing for off-topic posts! To kick off my Saturday recipe series, I want to focus on a versatile, easy dish I make at least once per week: The Rice Bowl. [Jump to recipe]

What is a rice bowl?

Simply put, rice bowls for me are are any dish with a rice base that strikes your fancy. Genetic and archeological evidence suggests the cultivation of rice and rice-based dishes dates back to South China around 10,000 years ago. In that time, rice has spread across the globe with each culture putting a personal spin on the popular starch, be it Caribbean rice and beans, Spanish paella, Italian risotto, or Latin American arroz con pollo dishes. Rice is a culinary blank slate!

Why I love Rice Bowls

I have a “Hot damn! This is delicious!” risotto recipe I plan to share, but let’s be honest folks: Risotto takes a while. From start to finish (unless you pre-prep the rice), a good risotto takes 30-40 minutes between prep, cooking, and plating. You can decrease the time by increasing the cooking temperatures, but then the risotto requires more attention than my needy, fat ass dog. Trust me, it’s A LOT. After a long day, no matter how much a bowl of delicious, creamy risotto sounds, I am not making it. But a rice bowl? That’s doable.

Rice takes the longest to cook, but while the rice does its thing, you can prep and cook the other elements of the meal. This reduces how much time you need to spend in the kitchen. The meal is also hearty, filling, healthy, and scalable. I usually cook this for two to three people because my aunt and uncle think black pepper is “spicy.” Meanwhile, my pepper-lovin’ palette believes if there ain’t at least four Thai chilies with the seeds, what is the flippin’ point?

I am going to share two variations of my favorite rice bowl although there are many others. One sports a South American flair while the other is more closely associated with Asian influences.

A Word on Recipes

I do not include specific amounts unless I share a baking recipe. Even when I read recipes written by chefs, I make modifications on the fly. Cooking is about experimentation, creativity, and risk, but it also should allow you to customize recipes for your taste, hunger level, dietary and nutritional needs, availability of products, and budget. Listing precise measurements, e.g., 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup carrots, etc., is too limiting. What if you’re cooking for yourself? Or three people? Five? Ten? My hope, as with my bra reviews, is to provide the information to inspire you.

Asian Rice Bowl

Base Ingredients:

• Rice: I buy a 20 pound bag of plain white rice at Super G’s in Greensboro to cut costs, but feel free to substitute Jasmine, Arborio, Forbidden, Brown, etc. Remember to adjust your cook time accordingly.
• Rinsed canned black beans: For the beans, you can soak dried ones the night before, but I love this recipe for both the ease and time-saving elements and opt for canned.
• Kimchi: Kimchi is a delicious Korean condiment consisting of fermented cabbage and vegetables. Many places sell pre-made containers, but I prefer to make my own twice a year. This is the base recipe I use. I do not use the shrimp, and I double the red pepper flakes.
• Fish Sauce: Like Kimchi, fish sauce is another kitchen staple for me because it adds a funk to dishes as well as salt. Super G’s is my go-to place for a wide variety. If you’re in doubt, the one with the baby on the front is popular, but I have yet to try one I didn’t enjoy.
• Soy sauce: Kikkoman all the way, folks.
• Spices: Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, Cumin, Paprika, Cayenne, Dried Coriander, Turmeric, Ground Ginger, or whatever else you want to try. I like adding turmeric to my meals because of its anti-inflammatory properties. People with autoimmune conditions like moi benefit from regular consumption. Just remember, turmeric is not activated without black pepper.
• Fresh veggies: You can use frozen, but I prefer fresh for taste and textural reasons. I often use Bok choy, bean sprouts or green beans, carrots, onions, green onions, Thai chills with the seeds, garlic, and mushrooms.
• Oil: For sautéing, I use vegetable oil.
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro! Lots and lots of cilantro!

The Recipes Gist:

1. Get your rice onto the stove to cook first. We had a rice cooker, but alas, the gasket broke.
2. While the rice cooks, prep your veggies and open the can of beans. For veggie prep, it’s going to depend on what you use. Generally speaking, you want similar things to be cut evenly to ensure uniform cooking and absorption of seasoning.
3. In a size appropriate pot, put in your beans with the liquid from the can. If you made your beans overnight, use the liquid in which you soaked them.
4. Add spicy peppers into the pot. I dry out Thai chilis because they keep for a long time, but any pepper works here. Add in fish sauce, soy sauce, and spices. Just go easy on the salt and fish sauce initially. I, personally, adore fish sauce. If I am cooking for myself, I use a lot, but I ratchet back my amounts when cooking for others. If you’ve never worked with it before, start small. You also need to be mindful of salt because both soy sauce and fish sauce are both salty by nature.
5. Cook the beans on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting seasoning to taste.
6. In a size-appropriate sauté pan, add oil of choice. I sometimes add a little sesame oil to the vegetable oil, but sesame oil is another potent flavor. Toss in the dense, hard veggies, e.g., ends of the Bok choy, onions, Thai chilis, carrots, etc., and sauté on medium. Once they start to soften, add in the vegetables and aromatics with a medium density like garlic, the ends of the green onions, mushrooms, and bean spouts. Save the leafy part of the Bok choy for a minute or two before you pull the veggies from the heat to prevent wilting. When the oil and moisture cook off, deglaze with soy sauce and fish sauce. Add in your spices, and taste, taste, taste. Add more oil or deglaze as necessary. If the seasoning tastes fine, you can deglaze with a little water.
7. When the beans, rice, and veggies are done, assemble your bowl: Put a layer of rice down, add a little soy, then layer the beans and veggies on top. Top with kimchi, tips of the green onions, and all that cilantro.

I’m sure some people are worried about my blood pressure after reading about salt, fish sauce, and soy sauce in one place, but I have textbook perfect blood pressure these days. Fish and soy sauces are both fermented products, and much of the flavor derives from that process. Furthermore, fermented products rebuild the healthy bacteria in your intestines to ensure your gut biodome remains balanced.

The Latin American Rice Bowl

Ingredients: rice, shredded cheese, black or pinto beans, Mexican green onions (Harris Teeter usually stocks them), zucchini and/or yellow squash, avocado, peppers, spices (I cheat and use “taco seasoning” packs sometimes), cilantro, salsa (homemade with Roma tomatoes is amazing), and sour cream.

The Recipe Gist:

The recipe is essentially the same as the Asian bowl. Notable differences include: No use of fish or soy sauce either in seasoning the beans or in deglazing the vegetables. Use alcohol of choice (tequila is nice) or water instead. I use water or start with more oil in the pan.

When everything finishes cooking, place rice on the bottom and spread beans across the rice. Add shredded cheese and allow to melt. Microwave for 20 seconds to speed this up. Add veggies, avocado, fresh salsa, sour cream, tops of green onions, and all that gorgeous cilantro.

Final Thoughts

The thing I love most about a rice bowl is how the blank canvas encourages you to stretch your creative muscles and explore new culinary options. I’ve made variations that blend the Asian and Latin American components together, focused more on Korean flavors by adding bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef), thrown in Indian curries and sauces, toyed with vegetable selection, and even gone more for the unhealthy American fare using cheese sauce.

Given the fact I limit meat consumption to three to four times per week, having a filling, pescatarian/vegetarian dish like this makes life easier. The rice is low in saturated fat, the beans have a lot of fiber, and the veggies are filled with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. Just don’t forget the peppers!