In her super-personal book, “The Secret of Cooking,” author Bee Wilson lists ideas to motivate homemade meals. A category titled “extremely easy dishes to revive you when your cooking energy is gone” proves most helpful.
My cooking energy usually runs out around Wednesday. That’s when I start opening the freezer and the pantry to avoid the takeout menus in the junk drawer.
Bold flavors, short cooking times, and freshness are the common thread in Wilson’s repertoire. To that end, her recipes feature spicy gochujang, speedy polenta, and fresh vegetables. Her sausage, greens, and polenta has saved us from mediocre pizza many nights.
For my own extremely easy dishes, I religiously freeze 1 or 2 pounds of frozen ground meat and keep a stock of raw and ready-to-reheat rice. An indoor hydroponic garden keeps us in fresh herbs all season long. The plethora of bottled condiments on the refrigerator door frustrates the husband, but inspires the cook.
Teriyaki sauce, a sweet and savory Japanese-style condiment, proves worthy of the shelf space. The sauce is traditionally used as a glaze for grilled fish, meat, and vegetables. Stirring the amber-colored liquid, made from soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake, into a skillet of ground meat and vegetables adds flavor and color. I’m particularly drawn to teriyaki brands that also include sesame seeds and garlic in the jar. To cut the sweetness, add a bit of soy sauce or Asian black bean sauce with garlic.
Feel free to use lean turkey or ground beef in the teriyaki bowl that follows. Cook your own rice at the start of the meal prep if time allows. Otherwise, pop a couple of pouches of ready-rice in the microwave for 2 minutes before serving.
Change up the fresh vegetables with ones on hand, or swap in a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables for the onion, radish, and red pepper. Chopped canned water chestnuts can stand in for fresh daikon. Flexibility inspires.
Topping this rich, slightly sweet dish with crumbled fresh cheese adds a salty, creamy element to the final dish. Shredded cheese can be used in its place.
Turkey Teriyaki Bowl
Fresh bean sprouts taste great here too. Add them just before serving.- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2/3 cup teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Asian black bean sauce with garlic
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 cup coarsely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
- 4 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or alternative
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped peeled daikon radish, red radish, or celery
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
- 1/2 cup small dice fresh pineapple
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, optional
- Taro chips or shrimp chips, for serving, optional
Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in small bowl until smooth. Stir in teriyaki sauce, soy sauce or Asian black bean sauce, and red pepper flakes. Put cheese, green onions, and cilantro into small serving bowls.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add turkey, white onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring often to crumble the turkey into small bits. Cook until turkey is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in radish and bell pepper. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir teriyaki sauce mixture well, then stir it into turkey mixture. Cook and stir until boiling and turkey is nicely glazed, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in pineapple. Top with bean sprouts if using.
To serve, spoon a portion of hot rice into a deep bowl. Top with a generous scoop of turkey mixture. Pass the queso fresco and cilantro for guests to add as they wish. Accompany with taro chips or shrimp chips.
