01 March, 2012

Classic rice bowl (plated)


Inspired by the offerings of the popular Toronto restaurant Fresh, and a recipe tossed around kitchens and reinvented many times over by friends and families, this dish is a pleasure bomb of flavour, colour, and texture. (I offer my patronage if they open a location on the east side.)


Classic ingredients to use at your discretion: grilled tofu, cubes of goat's milk feta, tamari almonds, grape tomatoes, avocado, sugar snap peas, cucumber, parsley and, of course, brown rice.  At a recent dinner party we served it family style (assemble your own).

It's all in the details to get this dish right.  Cook the rice in a (low sodium) veggie stock to boost flavour.  Coat the tofu in nutritional yeast and sesame seeds before grilling (and cut into wee wedges).  Use organic and very fresh produce (whatever is available to you).  And make this slap-you-in-the-tastebuds dressing:

Simple Sauce (courtesy reFresh cookbook)
makes 4 servings

No fooling.  This sauce is intense.

1/2 cup tamari
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
a good chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 tablespoons of lemon juice

Combine everything in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then simmer gently for about 10 minutes. (I usually make the sauce first and set it aside to cool while I cook the tofu.)