This rice bowl is one of our go-to meals when we're craving something light. It's easy to make, and mango, ginger & basil make it wonderfully refreshing.
Welcome to another meal planning week! About a month ago, I wrote a 5-part series that was all about my basic approach to meal planning. This was the plan: I started the week with a set amount of groceries and ideas for 5 meals, each meal utilizing the ingredients from the day before. The “plan” was not set in stone, so that my dinners would be somewhat flexible if I got a new idea mid-way through the week. If you missed that series, check it out here 🙂
After getting such a wonderful response to that series, I thought, let’s do it again! I chose this particular week because it’s summer(!), which means that we’ve been spending more time outside, more evenings strolling our neighborhood, and more time eating out. I love to eat out, but after a while, I’m ready to start eating in again.
So here’s the first recipe for the week: this super refreshing Mango Black Bean Ginger Rice Bowl – basically a burrito bowl with Asian-ish flavors.
What’s in this rice bowl recipe?
If you’re a fan of our cookbook, you’ll recognize the sauce/dressing here – it’s a light tamari-lime vinaigrette, similar to the one that I poured over the Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Rice on page 63. I’m crazy for this dressing because it’s so simple but seriously flavorful – perfect for a bowl with many components.
Along with the sauce, I filled these bowls with mango, black beans, shredded cabbage, and a few crunchy veggies – blanched snap peas, sliced cucumbers, and carrots. The interesting pops of flavor come not only from that dressing, but also from pickled ginger, sliced basil, and a combo of toasted peanuts and sesame seeds. (If you’re nut-free, skip the peanuts and just go for the sesame seeds).
For an even healthier variation, you could use brown rice, cauliflower rice, or cilantro lime rice as the base of your bowl.
This rice bowl is everything I want to eat in the summer: it’s light, crispy, crunchy, and herby with a light sauce and a great pop of sweetness from the mango (use mango salsa for a fun variation!).
If you’re looking for the rest of this 3-day meal plan, check out these nori wraps and these mango tacos, and then find the grocery list here.
If you love this rice bowl recipe…
Try this poke bowl, this noodle bowl, or these sesame soba noodles next!
Mango Ginger Rice Bowl
- 2 handfuls snap peas, strings removed
- 1 to 2 cups cooked short grain white rice*
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 small carrot, sliced into very thin coins
- ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced into coins
- 1 small ripe ataulfo mango, diced
- ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- ¼ cup toasted peanuts, optional
- Sprinkle of sesame seeds, optional
- ¼ to ½ avocado, optional
- 2 tablespoons tamari, more for serving
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon sriracha, more for serving
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cane sugar, and sriracha.
- Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the snap peas by placing them in the boiling water for 1½ minutes, then scoop them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain, pat dry, and chop.
- Assemble the bowls with the rice, shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, mango, black beans, pickled ginger, and basil. Top with the toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and avocado, if using. Drizzle bowls with half the dressing and serve the rest on the side along with tamari and sriracha, if desired.
To make the next 2 recipes in this week's meal plan:
- make double the amount of rice
- save the remaining green cabbage
- save the remaining ½ cucumber
- get a total of 3 mangoes
- save 1 cup extra black beans (ie, the rest of the can)
Just now making this recipe. What do you think of subbing stevia for the sugar in the dressing?
(Sugar is on my “do not eat” list)
Thinking of subbing quinoa for the rice as I don’t have any white rice in the house either –
but have a mango that needs to be eaten & this recipe sounded ideal.
Thks!
Unfortunately the dressing tasted awful which was very disappointing as we’d poured it over the salad and had to chuck it all away. Very acidic.
What kind of rice should I use for short-grain white rice? Do you use Arborio?
Any white rice would work well here! You could use sushi rice for a short-grain option or go with basmati or jasmine rice instead.
This bowl is delicious! It is perfect for lunches during the week. Sometimes I add some garlic ginger shrimp. One of my favorite recipes from this site!
I’m so glad you love the bowl!
Quick question,
I tried (and loved) this recipe a few years ago. Since then I have developed a mango allergy, though. Is there anything else I could substitute the mango with to get a similar result?
Thank you!
Hi Victoria, oh I’m sorry to hera! Pineapple could work in place.
My wife “lost it” so I had to cook on Saturday after a busy day.
Chose your receipt – the cauliflower option.
Bought ALL the ingredients at one basic supermarket (I hadn’t heard of half the ingredients but they had!)
On table in around 1/2 hr of getting home.
Wife flow of praise was so gushing I had to post this – I started doing quick dinners in lockdown. This one was the best so far.
THANK YOU!
JP