Recipe: Buddha Bowls

Besides being loaded with nutrition, Buddha Bowls are easy to make and super flexible. Combine any mix of cooked grains, organic produce, good quality pickles and a dressing and you have a winning dish on your hands, says Untouched World Kitchen’s Executive Chef Mark McCracken. He dresses them up with additional texture from seeds, Koji rice and crispy tofu. But you can also add in some protein like fresh smoked salmon or soft boiled free range eggs, or serve it like they do at Untouched World with Karaage Chicken and Bone Broth. Serves 4.

SHOPPING LIST

  • 100g quinoa
  • 1 thumb of turmeric
  • 100g brown rice
  • 1 stick of kombu
  • 50ml basic vinaigrette
  • 50g fresh herbs
  • 100g sauerkraut
  • 100g good
  • quality pickles
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 50g vegetable shoots or micro herbs
  • 4 fresh beetroot
  • 1 tb miso paste
  • 2 tb sherry vinegar
  • 3 tb The Good Oil
  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 50g mixed nuts and seeds
  • 1 tb Ethiopian berbere spice mix
  • 1 tb Koji rice

Crispy Tofu

  • 100g tofu
  • 20g cornflour
  • 20g rice flour
  • 20g potato starch
  • 1 tb sesame seeds
  • 1 tb sesame oil

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Bring 300ml of water to boil in a pot while you peel and finely grate the turmeric. Rinse the quinoa and add to the pot with the turmeric. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Rinse the brown rice, combine with kombu stick and cook the rice via your preferred method. Toss the mixed nuts and seeds with the berbere spice mix and 1 tablespoon of oil, and toast in a pan or the oven until golden brown. Rinse and peel the beetroot, put in a pot covered with water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender, then drain and leave to cool. Once cooled, finely slice one beetroot on a mandolin, then puree the remaining three beetroot with the miso paste, sherry vinegar and 2 tablespoons of oil to make a beetroot dressing. Combine the flours and sesame seeds in a bowl, dice the tofu and toss in the flour to coat. Shallow fry tofu until golden, then set aside on paper towel. Chop broccoli into small florets, then coat in a splash of The Good Oil and char in a hot cast iron skillet or on a BBQ. Combine the warm rice, quinoa, herbs and vinaigrette in a bowl. To serve: Spoon the beetroot dressing around the edge of the bowl, add the rice and quinoa mix to the centre, arrange the charred broccoli and pickles around the rice and sprinkle with toasted nuts and seeds, Koji rice with crispy tofu on top.

Recipe: Buddha Bowls