Test Kitchen: Brown Rice Bowl with Lemongrass, Tofu, and Cashews

By Caroline Patrick, Graduate Nutrition Student

Another cold night and another warm meal with excellent company. At this week’s Test Kitchen, we made a delicious rice bowl filled with the cutest baby bok choy. The finished dish was so green and vibrant in stark contrast to the white and 50 shades of grey color scheme we’ve seen so much lately. Why couldn’t Phil have seen his shadow on the 2^nd?! I was ready for spring weeks ago.

Bok choy, or Chinese cabbage, is part of the Brassicaceae family of vegetables. Can you imagine what fun family reunions the Brassicaceae’s must have? Everyone would be there—broccoli, radishes, cauliflower—I mean come on, pass the dip! Bok choy is a hearty cabbage that prefers cooler temperatures, making them the perfect mid-winter veggie to turn to (lucky for us with this unyielding cold).

Tackling the tofu is the first step to this one-bowl-meal. Be sure to squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible so that it can soak up more soy-sauce and cook faster. It will be ready for the bok choy mix when the edges are browned. Instead of mixing the rice in with everything else, we just piled the veggie-tofu mixture on top of some rice. The bok choy paired beautifully with the ginger, lemongrass, and lime juice, and the toasted cashews added the perfect crunch. It was delecta-bowl.

Sargent Choice
Brown Rice Bowl with Lemongrass, Tofu, and Cashews

Recipe modified from the kitchn

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

8 ounces extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons grated lemongrass (white part only)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pinch to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 cups Bok Choy, chopped, approximately 2-inch pieces
3 cups cooked brown rice (Basmati preferred)
¼ cup cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse and drain tofu. Place between paper towels (or clean kitchen towels) and press out liquid.
3. Cut tofu into ½-inch cubes and toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce.
4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread the tofu cubes evenly on the sheet. Bake tofu for 15 minutes and flip over. Continue baking for about 10-15 minutes more until tofu is toasted and chewy. Remove from the oven.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are beginning to soften and turn translucent. Add Bok Choy and cook until stalks are tender-crisp and leaves are wilted (~3 minutes).
6. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce and lime juice and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add rice and tofu and stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat, stir in cashews and cilantro, and serve.

Nutrition Facts per serving