Grain bowls are definitely not new and I would say have been around for thousands of years. The original grain bowl in my life would be the holy trinity of dal-chawal-subzi or dal-rice-veggies, which I have been inhaling since time immemorial. I love that this trend has stuck around as it is a great way to pile delicious nutrition in one bowl and customize it the way you like. Also building a grain bowl for the kind of diet that allows you to flourish is fairly easy; you can create vegetarian, vegan or gluten free grain bowls.

I have been packing some version or the other of these bowls for my daughters lunches and snacks for several years and recently reminded them to start making some for themselves. Hence the post.

I tend to go with cracked wheat, couscous, quinoa or brown rice as a base and recently discovered wild rice while on a trip to the NW of the US. I loved the nutty and smoky flavor of this grain and hope that the girls take to it quickly.

• 

• 

• 

1. Prepare the wild rice as per directions in this post. 1 cup raw wild rice makes about 3 cups cooked rice.
2. Rinse and clean all your veggies and chop them into small pieces.
   • I used veggies that were available in the fridge and that day it was:
   • Brussels sprouts-10, remove the stalk and cut into quarters
   • Sweet mini peppers-8
   • Spring onion stalks-5
   • Baby carrots-15, cut in half
   • Large bok choy leaves-2, if using mini use 4-6
3. Grate 1″ piece of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.
5. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté till slightly brown.

• 

• 

• 

6. Add the Brussels sprouts first as they will take longer to cook than the other veggies.
   • Sprinkle some salt.
   • Sauté them till they are slightly browned on both sides.
7. Then add 1 more tbsp of oil
8. Add all the other veggies and and sauté till they are slightly softened.
   • Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the veggies as they are cooking.
   • You don’t want to overcook them or they will lose their crunch.
9. Set a couple of eggs in a pan of water to boil. I prefer them hardboiled so 12-14 minutes in boiling water does the trick.
10. Prepare the 5 ingredient peanut sauce dressing while the eggs are boiling.
11. You can now prepare your bowl as follows:
    • Spoon 1/2 cup cooked wild rice.
    • Add the veggies.
    • Peel and cut the hardboiled egg in half and add it to the bowl.
    • Drizzle the peanut sauce dressing on everything.
    • Add a dollop of chili oil or sriracha for some heat.
12. Serve warm.

• 

• 

I like to mix all the ingredients before eating my bowl. It is a perfect one bowl meal with nutty, crunchy, sweet, spicy flavors.

Some Tips

I make a large batch of wild rice so I can do bowls a couple of times with it. I also make a breakfast bowl with wild rice and will share the recipe soon.

You can use any veggies you have handy and also use spinach or other greens instead of bok choy.

Pack the peanut sauce dressing separately, on the side, if this bowl is a to-go meal so everything else does not get soggy.

You can add toasted and crushed peanuts as a topping for more crunch.