712 Shares
Jump to Recipe
This Vegetarian Korean Rice Bowl Recipe with Lentils and Cauliflower explodes with flavor with a sesame ginger soy sauce. So easy to make for a busy family dinner!
This Korean Rice Bowl Recipe with Lentils and Cauliflower is da bomb! (yep, I did just say that) It explodes with flavor in your bowl and in your mouth. I’m a meat eater and I swear, you will not miss the meat in this dish! The rice soaks up the incredibly flavorful sauce from the lentils and the cauliflower. This sauce is nutty and salty from the sesame oil and soy sauce, has a warm and zesty kick from the ginger and garlic. Finally you get sweet notes from the honey, balancing it all out. The lentils are creamy and hearty and the cauliflower gives you a nice meaty bite. Overall, the perfect rice bowl. It’s also Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegetarian.
Korean Rice Bowls to Introduce New Flavors
Korean flavors generally include ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce. This Korean Rice Bowl recipe is a great way to introduce them into your kitchen and perhaps to your kids. My older daughter, Daniela, loves the sweet and salty flavors. Just note that there are red pepper flakes in this recipe, so take caution to avoid them if you think it will be too spicy for the kiddos.
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
Prep-Ahead Steps for this Korean Rice Bowl Recipe
You are busy, so these are the steps you can do a day or two in advance to prepare food ahead!(See the recipe below for more details)
The most time consuming part of this recipe is mincing the garlic and ginger and measuring out all of the ingredients. It doesn’t actually take too much time, but it’s definitely something you can do the day or two before. Every little bit helps on a busy weeknight!
You will need a Large bowl for the Lentil Sauce and a Medium bowl for the Cauliflower Sauce. Then, you’ll mix all of the ingredients together and can store the bowls in the fridge so that they’re ready to cook when you are!
Ginger is a wonderful spice that comes from the ginger root. It adds so much depth and flavor, as well as zest, and warmth to this sauce. You can find fresh ginger at your local grocery store. Peeling the skin right off is super easy with a spoon. Once the skin is off, mince the ginger either using a knife or a food processor. I put chunks of ginger into a mini food processor and blend all of it up, freezing whatever is not needed for this recipe to use at another time.
Next, mince the garlic. I use theOXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Garlic Press
. It seriously makes mincing garlic so easy and it’s also easy to clean and just put into the dishwasher.
Once you have the minced ginger and garlic, you will split it between the 2 mixing bowls (details in the recipe). One bowl is for the Lentils and the other is for the Cauliflower Sauce. Make the sauces by mixing all ingredients in the bowls: soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, water, and red pepper flakes (optional).
As I mentioned, you can store the sauces in the fridge until you are ready to cook the meal.
You can also prepare the cauliflower florets by cutting them off the head and placing in a storage bag in the fridge.
Cooking Steps for this Korean Rice Bowl Recipe
There are three components to this dish: Rice, Lentils, and Cauliflower. For the Rice, simply cook it as you would normally or according to package instructions. I like to use long grain white rice for this.
For the Lentils, you want to make sure you get the red lentils. These are smaller and more delicate than other types of lentils and will cook faster and get to a softer, creamier texture than the more meaty and firm green lentils, for example.
Start by cooking the scallions in a medium sauce pot for a few minutes and then adding the lentils. Stir to get them warmed up and incorporated with the scallions and oil and then add the sauce that you prepared in advance. Stir to combine then bring to a soft boil.
Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Don’t cook too long after the sauce is absorbed or you could burn the lentils.
Now, for the Cauliflower, which gives you the meaty bite in this rice bowl. Spread the florets out on a sheet pan, drizzle or spray (I love my Sonica Organics Oil Sprayer for this) with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and then roast in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and fork tender. The cauliflower then gets added to the sauce that you have thickened with cornstarch.
Serve by first putting the rice in the bowl, then spooning the lentils over the rice, and last the cauliflower. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
ENJOY!😍Carrie
5 from 1 vote
Korean Rice Bowl with Lentils and Cauliflower
This Korean Rice Bowl with Lentils and Cauliflower is da bomb, exploding with flavor! The rice soaks up the incredibly flavorful sauce from the lentils and the cauliflower which gives you a nutty and salty backdrop from the sesame oil and soy sauce, a warm and zesty kick from the ginger and garlic, and sweet notes from the honey to balance it all out. The lentils are creamy and hearty and the cauliflower gives you a nice meaty bite. Overall, the perfect rice bowl.
CourseMain Course
CuisineAsian, Korean
Keywordcauliflower, korean, Lentils, Rice bowl
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 537 kcal
Author Carrie Tyler
Ingredients
Lentils – Sauce in Large Mixing Bowl
- ¼CupSoy Sauce
- 2cupsWater
- 2tablespoonHoney
- 2ClovesGarlic
- 1teaspoonGinger, minced
- 2teaspoonSesame Oil
- ½teaspoonCrushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 3Scallions/Green Onions chopped
- 1Cupred Lentils
Cauliflower – Sauce in Medium Mixing Bowl
- ½cupSoy sauce
- 1tablespoonHoney
- 1teaspoonGinger, minced
- 1cloveGarlic, minced
- 1teaspoonSesame Oil
- 1cupWater(for sauce)
Other Ingredients:
- ¼cupWater(for cornstarch slurry)
- 2tablespoonCornstarch
- 4cupsCauliflower florets
- 2tablespoonExtra Virgin Olive Oilhalf for Cauliflower, half for Scallions & Lentils
- 1teaspoonSalt
- 1teaspoonFresh Ground Pepper
- 2TblsSesame Seeds
- 1 ½cupsuncooked rice
Instructions
Prep Ingredients Ahead of time
You will be making 2 sauces, so get a large mixing bowl and a medium size bowl.
Peel and Mince the ginger. To peel, you can scrape the skin off with a spoon, a peeler, or cut it off with a knife. Mince with a knife. Place 1 teaspoon of the ginger in the large bowl and another 1 teaspoon in the medium bowl.
Peel and mince the garlic with a garlic press or knife. 2 Cloves will go into the large bowl and 1 clove into the medium bowl.
Finely Slice the scallions. Save some of the sliced green tops in a plastic baggie for garnish. Place the rest of the sliced scallions in another baggie (or just set aside if you will cook them now) for cooking with the lentils.
Finish preparing the Lentil Sauce in the Large Bowl by adding the rest of the ingredients in the Lentils Sauce list, EXCEPT THE LENTILS which will go in once you are ready to cook. If you are doing this a day or more ahead, store sauce covered in fridge.
Finish preparing the Cauliflower Sauce in the Medium Bowl by adding the rest of the ingredients in the Cauliflower Sauce list: Soy sauce, Honey, Sesame Oil, 1 cup Water.If you are doing this a day or more ahead, store sauce covered in fridge.
Make your Korean Rice Bowl Meal
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cook the rice according to package instructions. Or rinse the rice under colder water in a strainer. Then add the rice, 2 ¼ cups water, and a teaspoon of salt to a pot with a tightly fitting lid. Bring the water up to a soft boil, stir the rice, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and cook on lowest heat for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, turn off the heat, but keep covered until you are ready to serve.
To a preheated sauce pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and the scallions and cook for a few minutes while stirring so they don’t burn. Then add the lentils and stir to combine the flavors and mix with the oil.
Add the sauce to the pot and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are cooked and tender, and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
For the cauliflower, spread the florets out on a sheet pan, drizzle or spray with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning all over the florets and then spread them out again. Roast them in the 375 oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and fork tender.
While the cauliflower is roasting, bring the cauliflower sauce up to a simmer in a small sauce pot.
Make the cornstarch slurry by adding the 2 tablespoons of corn starch to the ¼ cup cold water and mixing until it dissolves. Whisk it into the simmering sauce and then reduce the heat. Continue to whisk as the sauce thickens to ensure no clumps form, just a few minutes. Turn off the heat and then add the roasted cauliflower to the sauce folding it in to completely coat it with the thick sauce.
Serve by first putting the rice in the bowl, then spooning the lentils over the rice, and last the cauliflower. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
