Turmeric Rice Bowls Recipe
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • For the rice
  • 1½ cups white basmati rice or rice of choice (book calls for brown rice - use your favorite)
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • For the lemon tahini drizzle
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
  • 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • For the vegetables
  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 2 large bunches broccoli
  • 2 carrots, sliced 1/12 inch thick on the diagonal
  • 1 large bunch tuscan kale or lacinato kale (about 12 ounces) - I didn't have any, so I skipped it.
  • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • For the tempeh
  • 2 medium garlic cloves
  • 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 8 ounces tempeh
  • Optional garnish: 2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
Instructions
  1. Make the rice: In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups of water, rice, turmeric and salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  2. Make the tahini drizzle: In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and 2 Tablespoons of water. Stir vigourously to combine; add another Tablespoon or so of water if necessary to obtain a creamy sauce that is able to drizzle. The sauce is very forgiving; if it becomes too loose, mix in a bit more tahini. (if making in advance, store the sauce refrigerated and bring to room temperature prior to serving.)
  3. Saute the vegetables: Peel the garlic and leave it whole. Chop the broccoli into florets. Destem the kale by holding the leaf at the lowest part of the stem and pulling back to tear the leaf away from the stem, then chop the leave into roughly bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with the garlic cloves until the garlic starts to sizzle. Add the broccoli and carrots and saute for 3 minutes. Add the kale and ¼ cup water and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the leaves are bright green and wilted. Add the soy sauce and sprinkle with salt, then saute another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet to a bowl and cover to keep warm until serving. Wipe out the skillet and discard the garlic cloves.
  4. Cook the tempeh: Peel and finely mince the garlic. Place the garlic in a small bowl with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and maple syrup. Slice the tempeh into ¼-inch-thick rectangular strips. In the same skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the tempeh slices (large rectangular side down) in a single layer and cook on one side until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until browned on the other side. Reduce the heat to medium low ad pour in the soy-maple mixture. Cook another 5 to 6 minutes until the tempeh is evenly browned and the liquid is mostly reduced, shaking the pan occasionally and flipping the tempeh once more time before the liquid is completely reduced. When browned, remove the tempeh from the heat into a bowl.
  5. To serve, place the rice in bowls, then top with broccoli, tempeh, carrot and green onion, if using. Drizzle with lemon-tahini dressing and serve.
Notes
Make ahead: make the rice, tahini drizzle, and broccoli and kale in the advance. The day of serving, reheat the rice and cook the tempeh.
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/turmeric-rice-bowls-recipe/