By thehushhushdiary Dear readers
A main part of my quarantine routine has been digging up recipes to build up mine and my family’s immune system. One fine day my research brought me face to face with a very intriguing and colourful bowl, called ‘The Buddha Bowl‘. How gorgeous and vibrant it looked! Some more clicks and a little bit of tweaking of the recipe, gave us this scrumptious dinner packed with nutrition and all the goodness the nature has to offer.
WHAT IS A BUDHA BOWL?
A Buddha bowl is a vegetarian meal, served on a single bowl or high-rimmed plate, which consists of small portions of several foods, served cold. These may include whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice, plant proteins such as chickpeas or tofu, and vegetables.
There are several explanations for why the name refers to Buddha. It may originate from presenting a balanced meal, where balance is a key Buddhist concept, from the story of Buddha carrying his food bowl to fill it with whatever bits of vegetarian food villagers would offer him, to the explanation of the overstuffed bowl resembling the belly of Budai, a 10th-century Chinese monk often confused with Buddha.
HOW TO MAKE IT?
As said above, the traditional Buddha bowl is supposed to be eaten cold but I gave it a twist to make it more appetising for my taste palette with an extra add on of a white garlic sauce. Feel free to edit the ingredients as per availability in your kitchen. But mainly, make sure it has lots of colours and minimal cooking time.
RECIPE
TOFU – Lightly seared on a non stick pan with just a little salt
CARROTS – Boiled and salted
RED AND YELLOW BELL PEPPERS – Lightly sautéed with salt
POK CHOY – Lightly sautéed with salt
MUSHROOMS – Lightly sautéed with salt
CASHEWS – A few
PINE NUTS – A few
PUMPKIN SEEDS – A few
FRESH RED CHILLIES – Chopped
A DASH OF SICHUAN SAUCE – Optional (or Sriracha sauce)
RICE – Boiled with some roasted garlic
SPINACH BALLS – Chop a bundle of spinach and soak in hot water. Sauté some garlic and onion. Once the spinach cools mix with the spinach and shape into round balls. Put in to the refrigerator for 30 mins. Take a paniyaram making girdle and lightly brown the spinach balls form both sides. You can try using an idli making girdle too or use as it is.
WHITE GARLIC SAUCE – Sauté 8-10 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 chopped medium sized onion and some crushed ginger. Add water, salt (to taste) and half a spoon of brown sugar. Stir in just 1 spoon of cornflour diluted in water and balance the flavours.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Do share your comments below and don’t forget to press LIKE if you think you liked it. Have a superb day!
Source – Wikipedia
