How to Make the Perfect Grain Bowl
The charm of cereal bowls, Buddha bowls, and protein bowls is that, when done right, the quantity and variety of ingredients keep you palatable to the very last bite. This “if” is important. You would think that combining a lot of fun ingredients would lead to easy satisfaction, but I went to a coffee shop and paid an embarrassing amount for bowls that ended up being insipid, bland, and joyless. Luckily, you can use these simple tips to make a cereal bowl that sings with flavor and lifts your spirits.
Get rid of protein
Whether it’s animal or plant protein, it’s one of the bulkiest ingredients in your bowl, and one you’re probably looking forward to the most. Protein should be tasty and powerful. Between grains and possible beans or vegetables, there are many soft ingredients to contend with. The seasoning should be strong enough to spice up the protein and add some flavor to the surrounding ingredients. Marinate the protein or slowly cook it in a flavorful sauce. If you are baking or pan frying it, add some dry seasoning as well. (Season the beans and vegetables while you do this. Season everything.)
Bring the crunch
I once had a bowl of brown rice, black beans, fried sweet potatoes, soft-boiled egg, and hummus. It sounded good on the menu, but everything was almost the same, and each component was softer than the last. A soft mix is fine, but it can dominate cereal bowls, as many popular cereal bowl ingredients have a soft texture. Add some contrast and include crunchy ingredients. Try chopped nuts, muesli, julienned raw root vegetables, crumbled psyllium chips, fried garlic, or fried, whatever. The crunch will give you a soft feel and keep your food from turning into a terrible mush.
Have a salty, spicy, sour power star
You may be looking forward to your protein, but I don’t think it’s the most important ingredient. To make a bowl of cereal, you’ll need a salty, spicy, sour power star. Ingredients such as kimchi, pickled dill chips, sauerkraut, olives, feta cheese, capers, pickled corn or pickled red onions have great flavor power even in small amounts. The salty, sour brine in which many of these ingredients are soaked quietly soaks into neighboring ingredients, hinting at their individuality before you get a sour taste. When you do, it’s a bright and refreshing reset. Let’s call it a fermented cleanser for taste, okay?
call the herbs
Adding herbs to your plate of treats is a small but powerful technique. Chop up one sprig of cilantro, parsley, basil, or tarragon to add another irresistible flavor to your plate. They don’t even have to be fresh herbs. I know they are not always easy to keep handy; I keep finding bags of partially decomposed vegetable slurry in the bottom of the vegetable drawer. If the fresh variety isn’t on the cards, use a pinch of dried herbs in your spice cabinet or add a dollop of pesto.
Use failure
I know I’ve been talking about soft things, but adding sauce is different. I swear. It sits somewhere between a bulky ingredient and a dressing. There are two ways I prefer to add the dip: spread it on the bottom and side of the bowl, or drip it on top. Spreading it allows you to flavor the bottom of the bowl with the grain, which often contains your last bits and is the most unflavored part of the bowl.
The drop from the top allows you to be a little more selective. Mix it with the main ingredients or carefully choose the foods you want to cover with the sauce. I enjoy a serving of hummus, spicy plain yogurt, or baba ganoush on my plate, but go where your heart takes you. Try canned French onion sauce, mango salsa, or tzatziki.
Sauce it
Once everything is in the bowl, the last step is the sauce. I’m not suggesting you make a pan sauce or break up a blender (although you certainly could); the sauce shouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. Use something fast and fluid so it can drip off and mix with other ingredients. I usually look through my seasoning library on the fridge door because just about anything in there will do. Use a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a hot sauce mix, a spoonful of coconut milk, chili chips, or a dash of wine. (Look, it’s in my fridge door, and my definition of “sauce” includes wine.)
Making a grain, vegetable or protein bowl is a great opportunity to turn half-empty ingredients in the fridge into an incredible meal. Keep these tips in mind to enhance flavor and texture, and you’ll look forward to the next one.