Ingredients
- Salt (as needed)
- ⅔ cup uncooked red or white quinoa (well rinsed)
- ⅔ cup uncooked brown (wild, or black rice)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons finely chopped or grated peeled ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup neutral oil (peanut, grapeseed, safflower)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 4 large eggs (or to make vegan: 1 cup edamame, blanched)
- 1 large stalk of broccoli (steamed, stalk and florets cut into bite-sized chunks)
- 3 radishes (thinly sliced)
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped kimchi (sauerkraut and/or garlicky pickles (choose naturally fermented ones, like Bubbies))
- Scallions (about 4, green and white parts, diced on the bias)
- Sesame seeds (for serving)
- Dried toasted nori sheets (about ½ sheet for each person, crumbled or cut in strips, for serving)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and add quinoa (for ⅔ to 1 cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water). Cover pot and let simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes longer. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Do the same with the brown, wild or black rice, cooked in well-salted water for about 25-30 minutes (for ⅔ to 1 cup rice, add 2 cups of water).
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, vinegar and salt to taste. Whisk in the neutral oil and sesame oil.
- Place a steamer basket in a large pot filled with an inch or two of water. Place broccoli in basket. Cover pot and cook over medium heat until broccoli is tender, about 5-7 minutes. You can also use kale instead of broccoli, simply cook the same way as the broccoli.
- Meanwhile, bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower eggs into water; boil 6 minutes. Transfer eggs immediately to a bowl of ice water to cool. If vegan, blanch edamame.
- Put a cup of quinoa/brown or black rice in each of the 4 bowls. Divide the broccoli among the bowls, mounding it on top of the rice. Peel eggs and cut in half; place two halves on top of each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with fermented kimchi or, my favorite, chopped Bubbie’s pickles, sliced radishes, scallions, sesame seeds and seaweed. Spoon soy-ginger dressing over bowls. (Or make enough for 4, and eat the rest later in the week for lunch or a quick dinner.)
Notes
Cook the grains in advance for quick assembling. Nori, dried seaweed, is a great thing to have around – makes for an easy version of tacos – and it works well, broken up into bite-sized squares, or cut into long strips, in this grain bowl. Cooked eggs are also good to have around. Make them when you cook the grains.