Mushroom Kale Larb and Coconut Lime Rice Bowls

Don't let the weird title of this dish scare you off. There are many favorite dinners in our house but this recipe is hands down THE family favorite. It's delicious!

We've adapted it from Gaby Dalkin's recipe at whatsgabycooking.com. If you're not accustomed to kale, this is a perfect starter dish. The kale and mushrooms really soak up the tangy flavors of the soy sauce, brown sugar, and samba oelek. The samba oelek can be found in most grocery stores in the asian food section. But if you're new to kale, try 1 bunch instead of two.

The hardest part of making this dish is trying the fit all of the kale and then all of the mushrooms in a wok or skillet. Both the kale and the mushrooms shrink down in size by over half when cooked so you really need a lot of both to feed a family of 4. We used to do it in 2 batches to fit all the kale from 2 bunches, but what a pain! Then we started using our giant, heavy-bottomed turkey roasting pan over 2 burners and that works like a charm! No having to cook things in 2 batches!

One final tip: we'd highly recommend investing in a rice cooker. Rice cookers allow you to "set it and forget it" with any type of grain (rice, quinoa, barley, farro, bulgur, etc.). They're foolproof and easy to clean. This is the type we own but anything similar will work and you can still make this meal pretty easily without a rice cooker or roasting pan and it will be delicious!

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 45 min

Serves: 4 - 6

Pickled Vegetable Ingredients:

• 8 Persian cucumbers (sliced)

• 1 small red onion (sliced thin)

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Mushroom Kale:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

• 2 bunches kale (tough ribs removed and chopped)

• 32 - 48 oz. white mushrooms (sliced)

• 6 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 bunch scallions (sliced)

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

• 2-3 Tbsp. sambal oelek (2 = medium spice, 3 = hot)

• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar (we use brown sugar truvia)

Rice:

• 3 cups dry jasmine white rice

• 2 - 15oz. cans of light coconut milk

• 2 1/4 cups water

• 2 tsp white sugar

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• zest of 2 limes

• juice of 2 limes

Garnish:

• fresh basil leaves or fresh mint leaves (both are delicious!)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine red onion, cucumbers, rice vinegar, and salt. Set aside, stirring occasionally to saturate the vegetables.

2. In your rice cooker (or saucepan), combine rice, coconut milk, salt, sugar, and water. Cook on white rice setting.

3. In your largest, heavy bottom pan (we use a giant turkey roasting pan on 2 burners), heat vegetable oil on medium high heat. Add kale, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Remove kale to a mixing bowl.

4. In the same pan, add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 12-14 minutes. (If you're new to mushrooms, they will release their liquid and become very watery, but then in a couple more minutes they will begin to reabsorb the liquid and once the liquid is mostly reabsorbed, they brown and caramelize.)

5. Add the garlic and green onions and sauce until fragrant. Then add the soy sauce, samba, and brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the kale back to the mixture and combine everything.

6. If your kale and mushrooms are done before the rice, turn off the heat to not overcook.

7. When the rice is done, add the zest and lime juice and combine thoroughly.

8. To serve, put a cup of coconut lime rice in each bowl, add 1-2 cups of the kale mushroom mixture (making sure to get some extra liquid in each bowl), then top with the pickled vegetables and either fresh mint or basil leaves as garnish. Enjoy!