Ever since I’ve been doing Zoe, I’ve been looking for ways to improve my microbiomes and eat even more veg in creative ways. My sister-in-law gave me some homemade kimchi for Xmas and I’m also looking for delicious ways to use it! Here’s one! I’m also going to start making my own kimchi…This is super easy and tasted delicious. You can marinate and cook the mushrooms, rice and carrots in advance and then finish off the assembly when you’re ready to eat. A fried egg on top makes it truly authentic. But I didn’t have any! But I did have a spare half avocado so I popped that on top! Just have the sesame oil bottle to hand and use liberally.

• ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1¼ tsp sesame oil
• 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup julienned carrots
  • sesame oil
• 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 tbs tamari/soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cups brown or white rice
• Salt for cooking rice
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy/tamari
  • 2 tbs rice vinegar
  • Chill flakes
• 1tbsp Gochujang sauce
• Sesame seeds for serving
• 4 tbsp Kimchi, heated in a pan (or as much as you like)
• Spring onions, julienned

Method

• In a small bowl, toss the cucumber slices with ½ teaspoon rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Slice mushrooms and marinate in the tamari/soy and rice vinegar. Sprinkle with chilli flakes. Set aside for 30 minutes.
• Cook the rice while mushrooms marinating. Brown rice takes 20-30 minutes.
• Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a small pan. Add the mushrooms and marinade and allow to cook slowly until ready to serve. They should caramelise
• Heat ½ teaspoon sesame oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until a little bit soft, and then remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat ½ teaspoon more sesame oil in the wok and add the spinach and tamari. Cook, tossing, for 30 seconds or until just wilted. Remove from the skillet and gently squeeze out any excess water from the spinach.
• Stir in gochujang sauce to the soy/tamari water residue from cooking spinach
• Drain rice.
• Assemble the bowls with the rice, cucumber slices, bean sprouts, carrots, spinach, kimchi and the mushrooms.. Sprinkle with spring onions, sesame seeds and drizzle generously with the gochujang sauce.