Fine Cooking Magazine - November/December 2020

Servings: 4

This recipe, excerpted from Build-a-Bowl by Nicki Sizemore, is creamy, crunchy, sweet, salty, and spicy. In other words: it’s heavenly. The sauce, made with peanut butter and coconut milk, is the real star of the show. It instantly dresses up chicken (you can use leftover cooked chicken here) and is a fantastic dressing for noodle salads and Asian slaws.

Ingredients

For the coconut-peanut sauce

1 cup canned coconut milk (well stirred)
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
1 to 2 tsp. sriracha
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the bowls

1-1/2 cups snow peas
1 heaping cup thinly sliced napa cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 cups cooked grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, or farro
2 cups chopped or cubed cooked chicken or tofu

For the toppings

Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped fresh mint
Chopped roasted peanuts
Sriracha
Lime wedges

Preparation

Make the sauce

Place the coconut milk, lime juice, tamari, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, sugar, and 1 tsp. of the sriracha in a blender. Season with salt and black pepper. Blend on high speed until smooth. Taste and season with additional sriracha, salt, black pepper, and/or lime juice, as needed.

Build the bowls

Fill a saucepan with about 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Insert a steamer basket and add the snow peas. Cover and steam until bright green and tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry.
Toss the cabbage and bell pepper with the lime juice and oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Spoon the grains into bowls. Arrange the snow peas, cabbage slaw, and chicken over the top. Drizzle with the coconut-peanut sauce and sprinkle with the cilantro, mint, and peanuts. Serve with sriracha, lime wedges, and additional sauce for drizzling.

Excerpted from Build-a-Bowl by © Nicki Sizemore. Photography by © Katrin Björk. Used with permission of Storey Publishing.

Tip

The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If needed, thin it with a drizzle of water.

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What We're Cooking Now

Name: Chicken, Napa Cabbage & Snow Pea Grain Bowl with Coconut-Peanut Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 cup canned coconut milk (well stirred); 2 Tbs. lime juice; 1 tsp. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce; 1 tsp. fish sauce; 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh ginger; 1/2 cup peanut butter; 1 Tbs. packed light brown sugar; 1 to 2 tsp. sriracha; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1-1/2 cups snow peas; 1 heaping cup thinly sliced napa cabbage; 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced; Juice of 1/2 lime; 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2-3 cups cooked grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, or farro; 2 cups chopped or cubed cooked chicken or tofu; Chopped fresh cilantro; Chopped fresh mint; Chopped roasted peanuts; Sriracha; Lime wedges