Better-Than-Takeout Coconut Rice Bowl

I LOVE Asian food and one of my favourite take-outs growing up was Chinese food. A lot of the dishes at Chinese restaurants in North America, however, contain a high amount of fried foods, drenched in high-sodium/high-sugar based sauces. These dishes are often nutritionally unbalanced (for example, they are heavy on carbs and proteins – sweet and sour chicken and rice anyone? – which, although delicious, is not an ideal food combination for good digestion. To top it off, the portion sizes are always way bigger than necessary, likely causing you to over-order, over-spend and over-eat.

Did you know? Chinese take-out in North America is renowned for containing MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), a commonly used flavour-enhancer that if consumed in high amounts regularly, is known to cause reactions including; Headaches, Eczema, Diarrhea, Nausea, Muscle and Joint aches, to name a few.

We all know that ordering a take-out always seems like the fast option on a Friday night, but in reality, by the time you’ve placed your order and the restaurant has cooked and delivered it, you’ve typically waited at least 45 minutes to an hour, the food is lukewarm at best and your wallet just took a huge hit. So this quick and easy rice bowl has become one of my Go-To favourites for a busy weekday night when my taste buds are craving a Chinese kick. It’s much healthier than its ‘take-out cousin’ and only takes about 15 minutes to prepare and cook (5-10 minutes if you have pre-cooked rice prepared)!

Better-Than-Takeout Coconut Rice Bowl

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked Rice (Basmati or Brown)
• 1 tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups Broccoli
• ½ cup Green Onions
• 1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
• 175g Organic Tofu*
• 1-2 tbsp. Tamari (or to taste)

Directions 

• Heat the coconut oil in a wok (don’t worry if you don’t have one, a regular pan will do the job too) over a medium to high heat and add the cooked rice.
• Crack the eggs into the rice.
• Gently stir the egg and rice in the wok/pan, as the eggs cook to a scrambled consistency through the rice.
• Add broccoli and green onions and continue to stir fry the rice and veggies until the broccoli has softened.
• At this point I like to cover the pan with a lid for a few minutes to steam the broccoli a little.
• Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a separate pan, sauté tofu until crisp and golden.
• Add the tofu to the rice and veggies.
• Add the Tamari to desired taste.
• Stir and Serve.

The great thing about this recipe is that if you need to meal-prep in advance, you can always have pre-cooked rice and tofu in the fridge ready to go for whenever you need to whip up a quick meal (cooked rice will be good in the fridge for about 4-5 days). You can also double the recipe to make a family size portion or simply keep any leftovers for another day.

As a vegetarian, the crispy tofu is my favourite thing about this dish, but for the omnivores reading this or if you are allergic to soy, you could absolutely swap out the tofu for chicken and the flavours would work together just as well.

Top Tip: For better digestion results, omit the tofu or chicken and add additional vegetables, such as green beans, peas or bok choy.

So there you have it… my ‘Better-than-takeout Coconut Rice Bowl’ – a cheaper, faster and healthier alternative to Chinese takeout, that you’ll be craving seconds every time! Give it a try – your body and your wallet will thank you!

Enjoy!