The Donburi (Grain Bowl)
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Beech/shimeji mushrooms
- 2 T Vegan mayonnaise
- 1 T Tamari
- ½ bunch Rainbow Chard, torn into large pieces, blanched and cooled
- 4 c Supergrains, such as quinoa, brown rice and millet, cooked*
- 1 c Kimchi, your recipe or store-bought
- 2 ea. Small yams, roasted, peeled and halved
- 2 ea. Persian or Japanese cucumbers, thinly sliced and pickled, recipe follows
- 2 ea. Small semi-ripe avocados, halved
- Sesame seeds, as needed
- Green onion, thinly sliced
- Cilantro leaves, as needed
- Ponzu, recipe follows
- Lemon juice, to taste
PREPARATION
Remove bottoms from the mushrooms and pull apart into small bunches. Bring enough ponzu to boil to cover mushrooms. Let them soak for at least an hour; refrigerate.
Mix mayo with tamari and lemon juice to taste. Toss with chard.
To assemble, place 1 cup of hot supergrain in the middle of a bowl and place mushrooms, chard, yams, kimchi, cucumbers and avocados around it. Drizzle ponzu over all the ingredients, just enough to marry all together. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and cilantro leaves.
To make ponzu: combine ½ quart water,
½ quart tamari, ½ quart unseasoned rice wine vinegar, ¼ lime juice. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Sliced pickled cucumber: Slice Persian or Japanese cucumber very thin. Season the cucumbers in salt and let sit for about 20 minutes. Add warm pickling liquid, let it sit until they cool down.
To make pickles: Season cucumbers with salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring
½ quart water, ½ quart unseasoned rice wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons sugar to boil and cool until slightly. Add pickles and cool.
*Grains can be made in a rice cooker with a few pinches of salt. Or cook 1:1 supergrain to water, plus a few extra splashes of water. Makes 4 servings.
Chef Alejandro Morgan Wildseed, San Francisco from Food Fanatics Magazine®