Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Mongolian-Inspired Stew over Black Sticky Rice

Homely but delicious, this Mongolian-Inspired Stew over Black Sticky Rice is a healthy, filling meal packed with vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. Cleaning out all the frozen veg from the freezer never tasted so good!

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The end of Summer brings with it quite the collection of harvested goodies, and in my mind there really is no better way to transition into Fall than with a hearty, yet fresh-forward meal. We are huge fans of Asian-inspired flavours here, with jars of hoisin, bottles of tamari and toasted sesame oil lurking in the pantry and fridge at all times, so I wanted to blend the two into something that would keep mom powered through into the fall filled with parties, child-minding and endless chauffeuring.

I leaned into cleaning out the fridge for this stew, taking out all the vegetables we still had lurking, and wound up with so many of them I had to break out the big Dutch oven to house it all. In the end I had a delightful smelling bowl of stew - which admittedly isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but the taste more than made up for it. Sweet, spicy and savoury notes blended in the sauce that blanketed the vegetables and ground meat substitute and soaked into the black sticky rice ever so slightly. 

If you're going to make this as a make-ahead lunch, I'd keep the rice and stew in separate containers and mix them after heating. That way, nothing gets soggy and the heating is more even!

Mongolian-inspired Stew over Black Sticky Rice

Serves 10
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil (divided)
2 lbs ground round substitute, crumbled tofu or 2 1/2 cups dried lentils, boiled and drained
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 lb green beans, cut in half
1 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
2 cups corn kernels
4 large carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
 
Sauce:
1 tsp cayenne
1 cup low sodium tamari (for gluten free) or soy sauce
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (gluten free if necessary)
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3 tbsp cornstarch
 
Sesame seeds to garnish
Cooked black (or regular) sticky rice, to serve
  1. In a large pot (I used my Staub), heat the sesame oil and 1 tbsp of the canola oil until shimmering over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground round, tofu or lentils and cook until lightly browned (or about 4 minutes, for lentils)
  3. Add the remaining oil, then the onion and cook until translucent.
  4. Stir in the garlic, ginger and vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
  5. Meanwhile, mix together all the sauce ingredients.
  6. When the vegetables are done, pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a bubble. Cook until thickened.
  7. Remove from heat and serve with the rice and sesame seeds, if desired.

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