Tropical Teriyaki Rice Platter
Lots of ingredients, but not hard! Combining whole grains with fresh vegetables and fruits makes an easy one-dish meal. The vegetables can be changed, but try to keep the various colors represented: some green, some red or orange, and the yellow of the pineapple.
This is similar to fried rice in flavor, but nothing is cooked in oil so it doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed. If you have nut allergies but are okay with soy products, swap out the cashews for small chunks of extra firm tofu, which you can marinate in the teriyaki sauce before combining with other ingredients.
This is a good recipe to use up leftover rice or other grains. If you are starting from scratch, cook the rice in advance and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, if possible.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients and Directions
Rice preparation:
1 cup brown rice (long or short grain)
1-1/2 C water
Bring rice and water to a boil, then cover, turn rice to low and simmer 30 minutes. Without opening the lid, turn off the heat and let rice stand, covered, for at least 10 minutes.
Teriyaki sauce:
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 large cloves minced or pressed garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1/4 C plus 2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 tsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
Mix all together. This sauce will be liquid (not thick), but will be absorbed by the rice and distributed throughout the dish. If using tofu, let the cubed tofu rest in the marinade for 10-20 minutes before putting both tofu and sauce into the rice mixture.
Other ingredients:
1/2 C roasted cashews (preferably unsalted)
2 or more scallions, thinly sliced
1 seeded and chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 C. frozen peas
2 C. chopped fresh pineapple (bite size pieces)
2 C. bite size, broccoli florets, steamed until just tender (but still firm)
To assemble the dish, use a large shallow pan over medium-high heat. No oil needed. Add the scallions, plus a few tablespoons of water, and cook a few minutes until they soften a bit. Add bell pepper and frozen peas, with a bit more water if pan is drying out. Once peas turn a bright green, add pineapple, rice, cashews and/or tofu (if using), and 3/4 of teriyaki sauce. Stir gently to mix and let heat for about 10 minutes, partially covered. Taste the rice mixture and decide whether to add the rest of the sauce or reserve it for later.
Put mixture on serving dish and use broccoli florets to garnish, perhaps pushing stems into rice mixture so green floret is visible. (Broccoli falls apart easily in a mixed dish when it overheats, so using it this way keeps it whole and bright green.)
Garnish with additional pineapple, cashews, or orange slices. Serve any remaining teriyaki sauce alongside, as well as sriracha or other hot sauce.