A friend recently had me over for the most delicious meal. She cooked salmon and set up a sideboard with a bunch of ingredients and toppings. The whole meal, she said, took her about 30 minutes to prepare.
I loved the simplicity of the meal, yet the flavors were bold. It was also healthy, and it was quick enough to make on a weeknight.
So, the next week I decided to build on that idea and do my own version of her dinner party. I marinated chicken breasts in sesame oil and soy sauce and rolled them in sesame seeds prior to grilling the chicken.
While the chicken was grilling, I cooked the rice. I actually made coconut rice, which was delicious. To do this, all you need to do is substitute coconut milk for half of the amount of water your rice recipe uses, and add ginger and garlic to the rice before you cook it according to the instructions.
Then, while the rice and chicken are cooking, prep the vegetables and toppings of your choice. I have supplied a list below but don’t think you are tied to those specifically. Do what you want and what sounds good to you. The caramelized onions were a nice touch, and the carrots add a lovely crunch. Cucumbers are a must, but the rest is kind of your preference.
I think very thinly sliced zucchini and squash would be nice. Torn pieces of kale would be a great, healthy addition. Really, whatever you think would be a good topping, would probably work.
To prepare my rice bowl, I took the rice and topped it with chicken, onions, carrots, cucumber, basil, cilantro and bean sprouts. I then poured a generous amount of soy sauce and Sriracha, a splash of sesame oil on the bowl and sprinkled sesame seeds and toasted coconut on top. I am not going to lie, this may be my new favorite meal.
You can easily swap items out and make it different every time. A miso-glazed salmon would be delicious, as would Asian grilled flank steak or soy marinated grilled tofu.
Brown rice is great in the bowl, and obviously healthier, but you could use quinoa if you prefer. And I really like to use jasmine rice when I cook Asian food, but basmati is a good selection, too. Jasmine just makes your house smell delicious before you have even cooked anything else.
What is nice about this meal is that it is relatively quick to prepare, super healthy and has a ton of flavor if you season your bowl correctly. While you can easily pull this together for a simple dinner at home, you could also prepare this for an impressive dinner party. You will have plenty of time to hang out with your guests for once.
Ingredients
Instructions
