If this meal had a tag-line, it would be: ‘the easy take-out meal for when you’re busy and take-out is not an option’. And here, take-out is definitely not an option. Although there are a couple of pretty good-sized towns 15 minutes to the north and south of us, there is no place near us for take-out, and delivery is definitely out of the question. It has taken a bit of re-adjustment since last year we practically had the Thai food place down the street on speed dial. So, this meal has become one of my go-to meals for when I’ve been too lazy, or too busy to stock my fridge and all I really want is for someone to hand me yummy food. This recipe works because it can mostly be unmonitored. You can let the grains and eggs cook away while you catch up on other things — like the dishes. Also, with the exception of eggs, kale and scallions, all you need are pantry items. And in this house, we almost always have at least kale and eggs on hand. Oh, and have I mentioned how tasty it is? The flavors are a perfect marriage of a Japanese rice bowl and a Korean bibimbap. You can also play with using different grains and toppings to suit your taste. Yum!
- 1 cup uncooked red or white quinoa
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 Tbs. soy sauce
- 4 tsp. finely chopped peeled ginger
- 1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup peanut oil
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup kimchi, or to taste
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add rice and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. In another pot, boil 2 cups of water, add the quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook quinoa for 15-20 minutes.
- 2. As the rice is cooking, add a steamer basket to the top of the pot and steam the kale in batches (about 5 minutes each).
- 3. While grains are cooking mix soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and peanut and sesame oils in a small bowl. Also, bring another pot of water to a boil and add the eggs. Boil for 12 minutes, then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Peel and cut each egg in half.
- 4. For each serving, combine 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1/2 cup of rice. Divide the kale among the four bowls. Place 2 halves of an egg on each bowl and top with kimchi and scallion. Spoon the soy-ginger dressing over each bowl.
