I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.
I hope to see you there.
I can’t get enough of foods in bowls.
There is something about having several tasty ingredients in one container that is drizzled with a sauce or dressing and topped with condiments that creates my idea of a perfect meal.
The combinations are endless, but I find that I’m most often drawn to those that don’t make complete sense. The more random the ingredients, the more I want to eat them.
Take this creation, for example. A chickpea seems like an odd thing to combine with Korean chili powder and cucumbers, but somehow it works.
I came up with the idea one night when I was trying to put together a grain-free dinner with protein and lots of flavor. At that same time, I had also been experimenting with some quick pickled cucumbers that were heavy on the ginger. Alas, a meal in a bowl was born.
My cucumbers needed a little perfecting. Once that was done, I realized that a sauce would add the finishing touch the bowl needed. I like spicy peanut sauce on just about everything and over time I’ve finally come up with a version that hits the right balance for me — a little salty, fairly spicy and slightly sweet.
I should probably warn you that this meal could be the tipping point that sends me into a frenzy of bowl experiments!
Just a few notes. Make the cucumbers at least an hour before you put together the meal. You can even make them a day or two in advance and the ginger will get stronger.
Despite what seems like several steps, the meal comes together very quickly. If you have the cucumbers made, you can easily prepare it in 30 minutes for a winning weeknight meal. Oh, and if you want to send it over the top, add a boiled egg!
- 1 English cucumber, chopped or sliced
- 1 small shallot, sliced
- 1 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and shredded or minced
- 1/8 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened, salted peanut butter
- 2 to 3 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon coconut or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Korean chili powder
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
- Optional - boiled egg
- Stir together the cucumber, shallot and ginger in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the salt.
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and rice vinegar. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, just until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour the liquid over the vegetables. Stir and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least one hour, up to about 3 days.
- To make the peanut sauce, whisk together the peanut butter, sriracha, soy sauce, sugar and the dark sesame oil in a medium bowl. It will be thick. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk until completely incorporated and the sauce becomes thin and light. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the chickpeas with 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and chile powder. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the seasoned chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes, until the chickpeas begin to dry out, shaking the pan to stir the chickpeas often. When finished cooking sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
- While the chickpeas cook, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the black sesame seeds.
- To serve, arrange an equal amount of chickpeas, carrots and ginger cucumbers in each of 2 to 3 bowls. Drizzle with peanut sauce. Top with half a boiled egg, if desired.
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Simple ingredients, big flavour! I would love some too.
Thanks, Angie!
I was drooling over this recipe when you posted the picture on Facebook! Do you have to get the Korean chili powder at an Asian market, or have you found it at a general grocery store?
I did get mine at an Asian market. The variety I got was gochugaru. I originally got it to make kimchi and it is a huge bag. I basically walked into the store and said I needed Korean chili powder. The clerk asked – what are you making? When I said kimchi she headed straight to aisle and grabbed it for me. 🙂 It’s ended up being great in all kinds of Asian dishes, stir-frys, etc.
My automatic reaction when I see this is to want to put it over a bed of steaming rice. 😛
I’m sure it would be great with that, too!
Bowl meals are the best, aren’t they. I can see myself eating this for many lunches to come. And that spicy peanut sauce. . . heaven.
They are! And I could eat spicy peanut sauce on everything!
I could eat food in bowls all day every day…especially where there is spicy peanut sauce involved!
I am with you! Bring on the bowls!
This looks fantastic Lori! I am totally with you on the bowl foods–I love being able to pile everything into a nice bowl! The gingered cucumber pickles sound perfect to snack on by themselves! Off to pin and share!
Thanks, Tracey! The cucumbers are so good alone and on just about everything!
This was dinner tonight. We built our bowls on a bed of rice and quinoa. Such rich flavor with the salty and the sweet, and each ingredient is so well seasoned, it just comes together to make a fantastic dish.
Thanks so much for letting me know, Kristine! It’s so great to have feedback like this!