Big Bowler
I’m a bowler for life — not the sport or dish-wear, but the food. For those of you who may not be familiar with what a “bowl” is, it’s typically a healthy dish served in a bowl. You start off with a base, which can be anything from a grain, noodles, or salad greens. Then you have your add-in’s, which can really be anything you want — tofu, beans, chicken, picked onions, grilled vegetables. The options are truly endless. Bowls are one of my favorite things to eat because there’s a variety of components that make up the bowl. Each time you get a forkful of food, it’s different experience. Sometimes that bite has all the ingredients in it, and sometimes it only has three. You get a different tastes and textures with each bite, so it keeps your palate interested. This Korean Veggie Bowl was inspired by the Korean banchan. AKA the small Korean side dishes served before your meal.
Whenever I eat a Korean restaurant, I always feel like someone makes a comment about how the banchan is a meal in itself. There’s a variety of dishes to try and sometimes you’ll even get free refills of them. So when your food actually arrives, you’re already full from gorging on the banchan. This experience made me think: “well, why don’t I just make a meal out of banchan then?” So I did.
The Side Dishes
Banchan dishes vary depending on the restaurants you go to, so I just picked some of my favorites and tried to replicate them. Kimchi was obviously a must. I love kimchi. If you don’t love kimchi, I don’t think we can be friends. Kidding.
Then, we have our garlic and sesame chilled broccoli and bean sprouts. These two dishes are so simple, but the saltiness and garlicky flavors are so good! However, if you’re planning on going out, I suggest brushing your teeth after eating this because there’s a garlic and fish sauce party goin’ on in here.
Moving on to the tofu and edamame, these two components weren’t so much banchan inspired, they’re just what I personally wanted to add into my Korean Veggie Bowl. And this is what I mean when I say you can really add anything to your bowl. There aren’t any rules as to what you should and shouldn’t add in. It all depends on your own preferences or what you have on hand.
The last ingredient is the all mighty 7 Minute Egg. Yeah. That’s right. She’s back and better than ever. Not only does this bowl resemble banchan, but also bibimbap. If you use rice as your base and mix all the components together, the flavors and kimchi juice basically form a chilled and “raw” version of bibimbap. I also highly suggest topping off this bowl with furikake, which is a Japanese seasoning. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any on hand at the time, but if I did, that sh*t would have been all over my bowl and made it a thousand times more delicious!
Healthy Can Be Delicious
Y’all, this Korean Veggie Bowl was amazing. There was a variety of textures and flavors that worked so well together. While there isn’t any meat in this recipe, I can honestly say that I didn’t miss it. This bowl is packed with veggies and good sources of protein, and it is so satisfying. Knowing that this bowl is full of nutrients and whole foods makes it even better. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring — you just have to think outside of the box and stop limiting yourself to only salads. So, try this Korean Veggie Bowl out, and feel free to swap out some of the components with your own personal favorite banchan dishes. Let me know how the recipe turned out or what banchan dishes you chose to swap in! Have a great day, and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Korean Veggie Bowl
Ingredients
For the Broccoli
- 1 head of Broccoli (cut into small florets)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
For the Bean Sprouts
- 10 oz Bean Sprouts
- 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Fish Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Sambal Oelek or Chili Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
For the Edamame
- 1 1/4 cup Frozen Shelled Edamame
- 1/2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
For the Tofu
- 12 oz Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 1/2 tbsp Sweet Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Honey
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Sambal Oelek or Chili Sauce
For the Bowl
- 1 1/4 cup Cooked Grain of Choice (I used wild rice)
- Kimchi
- Four 7 Minute Eggs
- As Needed Green Onions (sliced for topping)
- As Needed Furikake (optional)
- As Needed Neutral Oil (ie: vegetable or canola oil)
Instructions
For the Broccoli
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water has boiled, add in the broccoli florets and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli has cooked and turned a vibrant green (The same pot of boiling water can be used for the bean sprouts and edamame). While the broccoli cooks, fill a large bowl with ice and water. When the broccoli is done, immediately plunge the florets into the ice water.
- After the broccoli has chilled, remove it from the ice water, allow the excess water to drain, and transfer it into a separate bowl. Add in the minced garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, fish sauce, and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
For the Bean Sprouts
- In a pot of boiling water, drop in the bean sprouts. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the bean sprouts have slightly wilted. After they have cooked, transfer them into the bowl of ice water.
- When the bean sprouts have chilled, drain off the excess water, and transfer them into a separate bowl. Add in the minced garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce, sesame seeds, sambal oelek, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
For the Edamame
- Cook the edamame in a pot of boiling water for about 2-3 minutes until the edamame has defrosted. Once the edamame has defrosted, chill them in a bowl of ice water. When the edamame has chilled, drain off the excess water or pat them dry with paper towels.
- Heat a sauté pan, over medium-high heat. When the pan has heated, add in the sesame oil. Then add in the edamame. Stir to coat the edamame in the sesame oil. Next add in the soy sauce. Cook and stir the edamame until the soy sauce gets absorbed and evaporates. Turn off the flame and add in the honey and sesame seeds. Stir to combine and set aside. You can use the same pan for the tofu just wipe off any remaining sauce with a paper towel.
For the Tofu
- Remove the tofu from the packaging and drain the excess liquid. Wrap the tofu in paper towels and place it on a dish. Place something heavy (such as a pan or cast iron skillet) on top of the tofu to press out the remaining liquid. Allow the tofu to stand with the heavy object on top for about 20 minutes.
- After the tofu has been pressed, dice it into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with just enough neutral oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the pan has heated, add in the tofu. Cook the tofu until until all the sides develop a golden brown crust, mixing and flipping the pieces when needed.
- In a small bowl, combine the sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and sambal oelek. When the tofu pieces have browned, add in the sauce mixture and cook until the sauce has been absorbed.
To Assemble the Bowl
- Place a scoop of rice or your grain of choice into the center of the bowl.
- Start adding scoops of the broccoli, bean sprouts, edamame, tofu, and kimchi around the rice.
- Top the bowl with a halved 7 minute egg.
- Garnish with the sliced green onions and a sprinkle of furikake!
I made this last night for my extended family and they loved it. My vegetarian daughter actually said she liked the tofu the tofu and the rest appreciated the side of bulgogi beef that I added. Great dinner. Thank you for the inspiration and yummy recipe!
I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! Also happy to see Emily is still going strong with her vegetarianism haha!