I love a meal in a bowl.

From a simple dhal, curry or chili beans on brown rice, to a serve of cooked grains topped with fridge fixings, ‘bowls’ are a versatile meal option.

The formula

Start with a layer of cooked grains on the bottom of the bowl. Top with protein, vegetables and a something to give it a bit of zing, like tang, texture or a sauce. Choose a theme or cuisine to tie all the elements together.

Think of old favourites like poke’ and dragon bowls as a template.

The elements

From the bottom to the top!

Grain inspiration:

• Quinoa
• Barley
• Farro
• Millet
• Rice: white/brown/long or short grain/wild/mixed, steamed or ‘soupy’ (congee link)
• “Cauliflower rice” (grain-free)

Protein possibilities:

• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Legumes
• Chicken
• Beef
• Fish
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Felafels/veggie nuggets

Prep your veg:

• Raw
• Blanched
• Steamed
• Roasted
• Pickled
• Spiralised

Add some zing:

• Toasted seeds, nuts or something crispy for texture
• Nori
• Sauces – green goddess, mayo (plain or spiked, eg with garlic, smoked chilli or wasabi), miso, tahini, sambal, harissa

quinoa greens tofu almonds…now add a sauce

Themes

If you’re stumped for inspiration, choose a theme or cuisine to bring it all together. Take short cuts. It doesn’t have to be authentic.

Dragon bowl – with kim chi and Korean flavours or go the whole hog and make bibimbap with a fried egg and gochujang sauce. (This sheet pan vegetarian bibimbap is super simple!)

Poke´- Hawaiian/Japanese, usually with sushi style fish, avocado, salad vegetables, nori or furikake – served with soy sauce and tamari

Mexican/burrito bowl – spicy chilli beans, guacamole, grated carrot, corn, salsa topped with crumbled corn chips

Scandinavian – gravalax smoked or pickled fish, boiled eggs, beetroot, pickled cucumber apple, and sprinkle with lots of dill! Sauces – horseradish or lingonberry.

Japanese – traditional soba noodle, sushi rice or cooked okaya-style for a warmer option, topped with tamari soused bonito, traditional Japanese pickles, omelette, toasted nori and sesame seeds (or furikake).

Chinese – braised shitake mushrooms, spring onions, ginger and silken tofu, or poached chicken, pickled vegetables and coriander.

Spring – blanched asparagus, boiled eggs, radish with green goddess dressing.

Autumn – roasted root vegetables, crispy tempeh, miso tahini dressing.

Leftovers – what’s in the fridge? Barbecued/roast meat or veg, chilli beans, boiled eggs, lentil bake, pickles, avocado, sambal, kimchi, roasted peanuts, satay sauce…

Fussy eater bowls – put an array of toppings on a platter, with a few sauces or condiments on the side. Give each person a bowl of cooked grain and let them create their own. Pro tip: cooked grains can be frozen into portion sized serves, then steamed or microwaved to serve. If you have a member of your household who doesn’t like rice, quinoa etc make a batch of what they like and freeze extra portions for next time.

Need more ideas for a meal in a bowl? Check out the Bowl collection from Delicious.

What’s your favourite bowl?

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Similar Posts:

• Recipe: quinoa bowl
• Recipe: dragon bowl
• Recipe: soba noodle bowl
• Recipe: congee and okaya
• Recipe: furikake aka Japanese sprinkles