Tag Archives: rice bowl

Rice Bowls with Harissa, Beef, Chickpeas and Olives

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This North African-inspired chili keeps the usual beef, but trades the beans for chickpeas, tender carrots, and briny olives, all simmered in a rich, glossy sauce spiked with harissa—the smoky, fiery chile paste that gives the dish its deep warmth and complexity.

Unlike traditional chili, this version leans into the aromatic spice blends of North African and Middle Eastern cooking, balancing heat with savory depth. A final drizzle of extra harissa at the table lets everyone dial up the spice to their liking, making it as customizable as it is comforting.

Harissa paste runs the gamut from mild to spicy, so be sure to adjust your recipe to your preferred level of heat. *We used a spicy New York Shuk brand harissa paste, increasing the quantity to 1/4 cup, which satisfied our craving for bold.

One notable change, next time we would add the carrots in Step 1 along with the onion because adding them in Step 2 with the olives, did not give them enough time to soften properly.

To finish, serve over rice and top with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro. We used a homemade yogurt raita instead of sour cream.

Rice Bowls with Harissa, Beef, Chickpeas and Olives

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp. table salt, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 lb. 85 percent lean ground beef
  • 3 Tbsp. harissa*, plus extra for serving
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, undrained
  • ½ cup pitted green olives, chopped coarse
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • Steamed rice
  • Sour cream, dollops (optional)
  • Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef, breaking up large chunks with wooden spoon, and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in harissa and tomato paste and cook until pastes darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in chickpeas and their liquid, olives, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and liquid is thickened and glossy, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra harissa separately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Kelly Song and Jessica Rudolph for America’s Test Kitchen

Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls

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Contrary to popular belief, “teriyaki” refers not to a sauce, but a technique. In this recipe, chicken thighs are briefly marinated and tossed with a little cornstarch before they’re cooked in a skillet. The meat is seared or broiled, then given a lustrous shine with a glaze of soy, mirin and sugar.

We happened to have one-pound packages of chicken thighs in the freezer so we thawed one of them. It is less that the 1 1⁄2 pounds called for, but since it was just the two of us, we figured it was plenty. We probably could have gotten away with cooking the chicken in one batch instead of two. All of the other ingredient amounts were kept as is.

Don’t forget to drain the chicken before coating it with cornstarch. Excess liquid will cause splattering during cooking. “Donburi” refers to individual one-bowl meals of rice with various toppings. To complement the chicken and add texture and freshness to the donburi, we also threw together a simple cabbage slaw.

Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls (Donburi)

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp. sake, divided
  • 4 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce, divided
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 2 tsp. white sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
  • 3 medium scallions, thinly sliced on bias
  • 2 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 4 tsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
  • 4 cups cooked Japanese-style short-grain rice, hot

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the sake and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add the chicken and toss. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sake, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the mirin and sugar. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the ginger; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage and scallions with the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the rice vinegar and sesame oil. Set aside.
  4. Drain the chicken in a fine mesh strainer. Wipe out the bowl, then return the chicken to it. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat.
  5. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil until beginning to smoke. Add half the chicken in an even layer and cook without stirring until well browned on the bottom and the edges turn opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Flip and cook without stirring until well browned on the second side, about another 3 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and remaining chicken.
  7. Wipe out the skillet, then return the chicken to the pan. Pour in the soy sauce-ginger mixture and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high, stirring, until the liquid is syrupy and the chicken is glazed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  8. Divide the rice among 4 bowls. Top with the cabbage mixture and chicken.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Original recipe by Julia Rakow for Milk Street