A Guide to Rice Bowls
my favorite weeknight meal
I started making rice bowls for myself a few years ago, back when all I wanted after a long day of cooking w
as a big, comforting bowl filled with all my favorite things. They're easy to throw together, endlessly customizable, and make the best leftovers.
The Base
Every good rice bowl starts with—you guessed it—rice. You can use any variety, but my go-to is sushi rice. I don’t get fancy with the brand. In fact, I’ve found the Nishiki brand a little tricky to cook. My favorite? The 365 Sushi Rice from Whole Foods—it’s $3.49 and never lets me down.
Now, I know the last thing you want to hear is that you need another kitchen appliance, but trust me: a rice cooker is life-changing. It doesn’t take up much space, and if you cook rice even twice a week, you’ll be so glad you got one. I’ll link the one I use—just $20 and worth every penny. Oh, and if you’ve got an Instant Pot collecting dust in a cabinet somewhere, good news—it doubles as a rice cooker!
One step you shouldn’t skip: rinsing your rice. I measure it straight into the cooker, bring it to the sink, and use my hand to gently massage it with cold water. Once the water turns cloudy, rinse and repeat until it’s mostly clear. Then add the right amount of water, pop the lid on, and press cook. In 20 minutes, you’ll have perfectly fluffy rice.
One step you can skip—but I don’t—is seasoning the rice. Right after it’s done cooking and still warm, I like to splash in a bit of seasoned rice vinegar (it already has sugar and salt).
The Protein
This is where the fun begins—open your fridge, freezer, or pantry and decide what you have to work with.
If I have fresh salmon, I cube it, toss it in a quick soy marinade, and pop it in the air fryer for crispy salmon bites.
If I’ve got steak, I’ll either cube and sauté it or cook it whole and slice it up—either way, delicious.
But let’s be real—sometimes there’s no fresh protein in sight. That’s when tinned fish and tofu save the day. Tinned fish is fully cooked and ready to go—just open the tin. I’ve listed my favorite ones below. If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend giving them a shot.
The Toppings
When it comes to toppings, I immediately think of pickles. Think pickled ginger, quick-pickled cucumbers, daikon, carrots—and of course, kimchi. Technically it’s more of a ferment than a pickle, but it has the perfect balance of heat and sour tang.
I also love tossing in edamame. I always keep a bag in the freezer—it takes less than 10 minutes to boil and cook, and it's a great source of plant protein. Don’t feel like turning on the stove? Add some ripe avocado instead.
If you’re looking for a fresh green that cooks quickly, grab some baby bok choy. I like to peel the leaves, wash them well, then sauté in sesame oil with grated garlic or ginger and a pinch of red chili flakes. Once the leaves are tender, I splash in a little ponzu sauce—so good. You can use the same method for shiitake mushrooms: slice them, dry sauté until softened, then finish with the same seasoning combo.
For crunch, top it off with some toasted nori sheets or crispy fried shallots if you really want to go all out.
The Sauce
If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: swap soy sauce for ponzu. And if you love citrus like I do, go for yuzu ponzu. It’s lighter, less salty, and brightens up everything in the bowl.
Want some heat? Add a drizzle of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. Sometimes I get my spice kick from kimchi, but chili crisp is another favorite.
And to really level things up, add a little creamy element—hello, Kewpie mayo.
Put it all together, and you’ve got the most satisfying, craveable meal. Rice bowls are endlessly flexible—while I usually lean toward Asian flavors, you can take them in any direction you like. So get creative and make weeknight meals delicious!
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I love this - I am inspired to make a few this week.