Build your own Buddha Bowl (with mung bean sauce)

Buddha Bowls are vegan and vegetarian meals served in one single (giant) bowl. The bowl contains a variety of hot and cold ingredients usually served on a bed of grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and topped with chickpeas, tofu and colourful vegetables.

A Buddha Bowl is incredibly satisfying to eat and really puts the hunger at bay for a long time. It's ideal before a long outdoor activity. Since it's easy to put together, we recommend taking buddha bowls for lunch as they are very healthy and will infuse you with energy.

Origins of The Buddha Bowl

There are many stories of how the mighty Buddha Bowl came to be a meal. The first time we heard of it was when we saw it on a menu in a vegan restaurant. We thought it's called this way because of Buddha's teaching on ethics and vegetarianism.

However, as it turns out, the concept of this meal came not from decadence but from poverty. Every morning, Buddha would walk with an empty bowl around people to get spare bits of food. This resulted in a mix of food with small quantities of rice, vegetables, grains etc.

In Western societies, Buddha bowls are seen as giant bowls of food, filled to the rim with all sort of goodies. The good news is that food in bowl in actually incredibly affordable, making it a top healthy budget dish, even though, at first glance, it may look over the top.

Why eat Buddha Bowls

As a vegan, we can't stress the importance of eating plenty of Buddha Bowls. They are packed with protein and fibre and they are super easy to make. They are very healthy, usually made with grains and vegetables, thus keeping the cost of a bowl very low.

You can add the toppings you like the most, but the base should always be some sort of whole grain. We like mixing brown rice with barley, something we learnt how to do in Japan.

I'm sure you felt energyless at times with a vegan diet. But since we adopted Buddha bowls into our diet, we now feel a lot more alive.

How to make a Buddha Bowl

The recipe takes around 30 minutes to make. It's super healthy, loaded with protein, fibre and vegetables. The sauce for the rice and vegetables is made with mung beans, adding an extra level of protein to the dish itself.

Our mung bean sauce is super easy to make and it's perfect for the Buddha Bowl. You can use the sauce for curries also, it's very delicious.

Start by making your grains: the brown rice, the barley and the mung beans.

Roast or grill the mushrooms and the poblano peppers. I prefer grilling my vegetables. Then warm up the chickpeas although this is not needed if you prefer them cold. I just like my Buddha Bowl a little warm.

Toss some tofu cubes with my magical Thai sauce and warm it up until fragrant.

Once the grains are ready, assemble the bowls by mixing brown rice and barley as a base. Top up with the chickpeas and the vegetables. Add the tofu on the side.

Time to make the sauce: mix the drained mung beans with oat milk, nutritional yeast, a little mustard and tomato paste. Whiz it in a blender and that's it: you have the perfect sauce for a buddha bowl. And it's so good you will want it on everything!

Add the sauce to the bowl and season with black sesame seeds and chili flakes. You'll love it so much.

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.

Buddha Bowl

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• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins
• Total: 0 mins
• Serves 4 people

Categories: Dinner, Lunch Cusine: Mediterranean, Thai

Description

A delicious and easy Buddha Bowl recipe full of fibre for a healthier diet. How to make your own Buddha Bowl, plus the best sauce for rice and vegetable.

Ingredients

(USA / Metric)

Buddha Bowl

• 4 cups Easy Brown Rice
• 1 1/4 cup barley
• 1 block tofu
• 2 cups chickpea
• 2 cup pieces mushrooms
• 5 wt. oz poblano
• 3 tbsp Thai Chili Paste
• 1 large spring onion

Buddha Bowl Sauce

• 1 cup split mung beans
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup oat milk
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

Seasoning

• 1 tbsp black Sesame seed (optional)
• 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)

Instructions

• 1. Cook the barley according to the pack instructions.
  2. When ready, mix the brown rice and the barley together. Divide into four large bowls.
  3. Cook the mung beans according to the pack instructions.
  4. In the meantime, grill the mushrooms on the hob until dark and a little charred. Grill the poblano peppers. Warm up the chickpeas.
  5. Chop the spring onion and mix it with the chickpeas and the mushrooms. Divide between the bowls, on top of the rice. Add the poblano peppers on the side.
  6. Cut the tofu into small cubes. Add the thai sauce over the tofu and toss in a pan until fully covered. Grill for a few minutes until the tofu becomes aromatic. Divide between the Buddha bowls.
  7. When the mung beans are cooked, drain well and place in a blender. Add the oat milk and nutritional yeast, mustard and tomato sauce and blend until everything is fully combined. Divide between the Buddha bowls.
  8. Season with chilli flakes and black sesame seed and add salt and pepper to taste.

Nutritional Information

Total Nutrition Facts

Serves 4 people

Amount Per Serving
Calories 459
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11 g			14%
	Saturated Fat 2 g		9%
	Trans Fat 0 g		0%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 5 g
	Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 0 mg			0%
Sodium 42 mg			2%
Total Carbs 67 g			24%
	Dietary Fiber 19 g		69%
	Sugar 14 g		28%
Protein 32 g			63%
Vitamin A 3% Vitamin C 40% Calcium 33% Iron 47% Vitamin D 1% Magnesium 38% Potassium 23% Zinc 47% Phosphorus 76% Thiamin (B1) 125% Riboflavin (B2) 68% Niacin (B3) 63% Vitamin B6 50% Folic Acid (B9) 0% Vitamin B12 2% Vitamin E 6% Vitamin K 21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice

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