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THE GRAIN BOWL

March 7, 2022

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The Grain Bowl

BY: Sara Liberow

Cooking with @THYMELYEATS

This grain bowl chart below is the way to be the hero this Purim. When you’ve got a busy day running around town, eating lots of sweets, socializing and drinking (all in an itchy pink wig from the dollar store), here is the food everyone wishes they could be eating. Something hearty, filling, savory, and flavor packed. Whenever I gift something savory on Purim, I always get the most enthusiastic feedback, my friends dig right in before I even leave.

A good grain bowl is simply a fantastic combination of a few elements. Pick a theme and build your bowl. You can totally mix and match the elements, just be sure to season them in theme.

You can use this formula below to make a giant grain bowl or bar for your Purim seudah, or pile the colors into a glass jar or container and tie it with a beautiful ribbon for a gorgeous and hearty mishloach manos.

Dressing Recipes:

Lime Dressing

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
Lime zest (from the 3 limes)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Amba Tahini Dressing

¼ cup tahini
3 tbs. water, more if needed
3 tbs. amba

Balsamic Dijon Dressing

1 tbs. maple syrup
2 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

More joyous applications:

Set out all the options to make a grain bowl bar at a party (or a kid-friendly, choice-led dinner)
Grain bowls make for a great Shabbat day lunch option
Add greens as the base and use the grain as more of a secondary ingredient to any of the themes for more of a salad.
These are great for meal prepping. Pick a theme for the week, prepare your ingredients, and have grain bowls ready to go for lunch every day.

For your Seudah to Stay

Make-Your-Own Grain Bowl Bar

I love these Bento style bowls from Cb2– they line up perfectly and look so sleek.

Putting the dressing in a creamer jar like this one from Williams Sonoma just elevates the entire experience.

Using labels can get your guests excited about building their bowls, especially labeling things that aren’t necessarily obvious like, “crunchy chickpeas,” “chili roasted sweet potatoes,” or “shawarma cauliflower.” These mini chalkboard table tent signs from Amazon are lovely.

A Giant Pile of Grain Bowl

This serving platter from Target, and this one (right) from Crate and Barrel, have nice deep edges that work well for piling high. Palace the grains on the bottom layer, and then display all the colors and textures in sections on top of the grains.

For your Mishloach Manos to Go

These are all options that range from cheaper disposable, to a little more elevated and reusable. You can put the dressing in first, then the grains, vegetables, protein etc. I would pack the crunch in a separate container to prevent sogging, and wrap a bamboo fork so that your friends can get right into digging.