Rice bowls are my favorite thing to make for dinner. I can always come up with some combination of ingredients to please both my kids, my husband, and me. Plus, they are just so easy! We had this for dinner last night and not only did the 8 year old help, he actually made the marinade all by himself! Well, I assisted with the chopping and mincing. It was a fun dinner to make with him and both the boys gobbled up their bowls! Rice AND veggies AND protein consumed in the same meal? Unheard of!
You can use a variety of meat in this recipe. We used pork tenderloin but I am confident it would work with chicken or beef as well! Maybe even shrimp…
Tip: Before thinly slicing meat, stick it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. It will firm up and make this task much easier to do!
Easy Stir Fried Pork & Veggie Rice Bowls
Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
For the pork:
1.25 pounds pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon brown sugar (can omit but the sauce will be less sticky)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (or sub 1 teaspoon dried ginger)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral cooking oil suitable for high heat)
For the bowls:
Shredded carrots
sliced cucumbers
baby spinach
sliced radishes
sliced green onions
additional sesame oil for drizzling
sriracha (optional but not really)
4 cups cooked rice of choice (we use Japanese white rice but you can use brown rice, jasmine rice, or even a combination of brown rice and wild rice!)
After freezing the pork briefly (20-30 minutes) sliced it as thinly as you can. In a medium bowl or container with a lid, mix together the brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prep your veggies! You can use pretty much anything you want here, but the combination I’ve listed above is my favorite. Lay the veggies out on a platter and set aside.
Heat the 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork in a single layer, leaving some space between slices, and cook until deeply brown (approximately 2 minutes) on each side. Transfer to a plate and continue cooking in batches until all the pork is done.
Set the pork and veggies out on platters along with the steamed rice. Set out salt, sesame oil, and sriracha for hungry diners to build their own bowls. Enjoy!
*Suggestions: avocado slices, mint, cilantro and basil, chives, edamame, snap peas, green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted squash, broccoli…these are all great options for your bowls!