+GF
This has to be one of our top five go-to lunches—probably because the rice, potatoes, mushrooms and sauce combine to create this completely delicious umami flavor. Make this ahead for meal prepping or serve it fresh. Either way, this bowl won’t leave you disappointed. —LM + AM
SERVES 4
1 cup (210 g) uncooked jasmine rice
2 cups (473 ml) water
1 tsp avocado oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3½ oz (100 g) shiitake mushrooms
5 cups (300 g) baby spinach leaves
1 cup (236 ml) soy sauce
3 tbsp (42 ml) rice vinegar
1½ tsp (8 g) coconut sugar
2 tsp (5 g) fresh ground ginger
2 sheets nori, sliced in half
1 medium cucumber, cut into ½” (1.3-cm) thick slices
In a medium saucepan, stir the rice and water together. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the rice according to the package instructions. When the time is up, remove the rice from the heat and keep the lid on until ready to serve.
In a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the potatoes and stir evenly into the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. When the 2 minutes are up, uncover the pan, stir the potatoes and cover again. Continue stirring the potatoes every 2 minutes until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This process should take about 10 to 15 minutes total. When they are done cooking, transfer the potatoes to a bowl and set aside.
Add the mushrooms to the same pan you used for the potatoes. Cook the mushrooms until they are just browned and tender. This should take 6 minutes. When the mushrooms are done cooking, transfer them to the bowl with the potatoes.
Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the pan. Stir the spinach until the leaves are wilted. This should take 3 to 5 minutes.
Prepare the dressing by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and ginger in a bowl until fully combined. Once the ingredients are fully combined, pour the mixture into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Stir frequently until the sauce reduces and becomes thicker. This will take 5 minutes.
Line the bowls with the nori and divide the rice between the bowls. Arrange the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and cucumber over the rice and pour the dressing over each bowl.
*SEE PHOTO INSERT