This kimchi, brown rice and tempeh bowl is a nutrient-dense, delicious and satiating recipe perfect for work lunches! I based this bowl off the traditional “macrobiotic diet”, which is a diet based heavily on whole grains, fermented foods, sea vegetables and cooked vegetables. This Asian-inspired tempeh bowl is sure to satisfy veggies and meat-lovers alike.

What is tempeh?

Tempeh is a fermented food, made from soy. I choose organic, non-GMO tempeh for the best quality and health benefits. This is a great science-backed, Naturopathic Doctor-written post all about tempeh, read it here.

Is tempeh healthy?

Everyone will thrive off of soy differently, so it’s tough to say! I personally thrive off including tempeh in my diet once a week. It’s a great fermented food option packed with protein, probiotics for healthy gut flora and has a “meat-like” texture that is versatile.

Here are some other recipes you might like!

A note on ingredients

It’s quite important to choose quality ingredients for this bowl, to reap the health benefits from it. I encourage you to choose the following:

non-GMO, organic tempeh. Buying quality soy will avoid hormone disruption. Poor quality soy can have harmful effects on our health.
refrigerated, unpasteurized and fermented kimchi. Do not buy shelf-stable kimchi, but instead choose quality refrigerated kimchi. This means the product should have no additives such as preservatives, vinegar, sugar, alcohol or yeast.

How to make a tempeh nourish bowl

Kimchi, Brown Rice & Tempeh Bowl

Recipe by The Pure Life

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

An easy plant-based recipe packed with probiotics.

Ingredients

2 cups of uncooked brown rice, soaked ahead of time if possible
1 block tempeh, rinsed, dried and cut into strips
for the marinade: 1/4 cup peanut butter, 3 tbsp tamari, 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup refrigerated kimchi
4 handfuls of baby spinach
2 cups of chopped vegetables of your choice: I like cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

If you have time, cover the rice in water and soak for at least 30 mins. If not, simply rinse the rice. Cook the rice as per usual. You will likely have leftover rice, which you could use for lunches or leftover dinners throughout the week.
In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, tamari, sesame oil and grated ginger with a fork.
Cut the tempeh into strips and marinate it in half of the peanut sauce, keeping the other half for the bowl dressing at the end.
Panfry the tempeh in some oil in a pan, flipping once golden brown and crispy on each side
Prepare the rice in 2 bowls. Wipe the frying pan and quickly heat the spinach, for about 1-2 mins then transfer to each bowl and add 2 tbsp of kimchi to each bowl.
Chop or use a veggie peeler to prepare the veggies of your choice. I like them chopped small. Add these to the bowls.
Top with a bit of olive oil, extra peanut dressing and salt + pepper. Enjoy!