BEET “POKE” BOWL
4 medium beets, or 4 packaged cooked medium beets (1 pound) cut into ½-inch dice
1 ½ cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into
¼-inch dice
½ cup diced sweet onion
3 cups cooked white rice
1 cup seaweed salad (from the sushi counter at a gourmet market or grocery store)
Furikake (dry Japanese seasoning)
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
Instructions: If using fresh beets, boil whole until fork tender, about 50 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Use a paper towel to peel the beets, then cut into ½-inch dice. Put the beets in a medium heatproof bowl. Combine the water, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Add the salt and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Strain the hot marinade over the beets and stir in the ginger. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the beets and transfer to a bowl. (You can reserve the marinade to use again; store in an airtight container in refrigerator.) Add the soy sauce and sesame oil to the beets and toss well. Toss the diced carrots and onion together in another bowl. To assemble the rice bowls, divide the beets, rice, seaweed salad, and carrot-onion mix among four shallow bowls, arranging them in separate piles so that the colors and textures stand out. Sprinkle the rice with the furikake and sliced scallions. Serve.
Makes 4 servings
From “Vegetables Unleashed” by José Andrés and Matt Goulding