With many people upping their vegan meal intake in January, finding delicious recipes that are easy-to-make is essential. Convenience is a huge plus for so many busy people, and sometimes getting ahead with pre-made helpers works perfectly. You can have a tasty, plant-based meal – like a bowl, for example – where your favorite sauce is ready to go, and cuts time (and dishes) down. Enter: the Korean-style Tempeh Shiitake Bowl! Made drool-worthy with the use of Saffron Road’s Korean Stir Fry Sauce.

I’m going to tell you a teeny bit about my personal life, to give you the partial inspiration for this recipe. My partner is the furthest person from a cook you will ever meet. He legitimately eats out for nearly every meal and knows only what foods he doesn’t like (eeewww.. quinoa! *eyeroll*). But, even he can figure out how to cook rice and steam a veggie. I know this because he once bragged about it by texting me photos of this momentous occasion. It’s kind of the best.

That being said, I took what beginner cooks may or may not know into consideration while making this delectable Korean Tempeh Shiitake Bowl. Cooked Basmati rice is fragrant and simple, then a hearty green is steamed over the rice, while it’s cooking. When thinking of the protein/main portion of this dish, I looked at the variety of simmer sauces from Saffron Road Foods – 5 of which are vegan – for some ideas.

The Korean Stir Fry Sauce caught my eye and appetite and I immediately wanted to use it! Then I thought, some vegan kimchi in this mix for some tang and probiotic perks would be perfect. (Check your kimchi’s ingredients first to make sure there is no fish sauce, etc.) After all was said and cooked, this bowl was super satiating, nice to look at, and even better to eat.

A great idea for this recipe would be to use it in weekly meal prep plans! Easily cooked in bulk and stores great, too. If I wasn’t buried in cookbook shoot foods right now, I’d be all about this. #FoodPhotographerProblems Ha!

And if you’re not familiar with Saffron Road Foods, they also have these highly addictive Crunchy Chickpeas that are my go-to road trip/traveling snack. So many great flavors! You can also find more of their vegan products here, plus coupons. Now, onto the recipe!
1 year: Mini Blueberry Cardamom Donuts // 2 years: Cinnamon Knots with Dip // 3 years: Cranberry Walnut Cheese Ball // 4 years: Almond Joy Cookie Bites // 5 years: Green Grape Smoothie
Korean-style Tempeh Shiitake Bowl

This Korean-style Tempeh Shiitake Bowl is easy, filling and made with delicious Saffron Road Korean Stir-fry sauce. Enjoyed with rice, kimchi and greens!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 8 ounces tempeh, 1/2-inch cubed
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup slivered red onion
- 1 sliced red jalapeno, optional
- 3.2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, large chop
- 2 cups hearty greens, chopped/packed firmly, i.e. kale, collards, bok choy, etc.
- 7 oz packet Saffron Road Korean Stir Fry Simmer Sauce
- 1 cup Vegan Korean kimchi
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a pot, or rice cooker, place rice, water and rice vinegar. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to a simmer. Cook with lid on for 16-20 minutes.
- In a saute pan over medium heat, place cubed tempeh. Line pan with 1/2-inch of water, and cover with a lid. Steam tempeh for 10 minutes.
- When the tempeh is done, drain water and place tempeh in a bowl to the side. Place sesame oil in the pan, warming it over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and jalapeño, and saute until onions become translucent.
- Add tempeh, and shiitake mushrooms to the pan, cooking over medium heat and browning the tempeh. Cook until mushrooms have reduced in size. Add sauce packet to pan (reserving 1/4 cup for drizzling), adjusting heat to low. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- While tempeh mushroom mixture is simmering, steam greens over the rice (whether using a stacked rice cooker, or an in-pot colander), until soft, and vibrant green. Do not over cook.
- Once everything is done, fluff rice with a wooden spoon and divide it between 4 bowls. Next, divide greens, kimchi and tempeh mixture between bowls. Top with black sesame seeds and additional drizzle of Korean Stir Fry Sauce, if you would like. Serve while hot and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

How to switch up your Korean Tempeh Shiitake Bowl:
- Substitute tofu for tempeh, and press the moisture out instead of steaming it.
- For another protein boost, try adding edamame in with your steamed greens!
- Brown rice or quinoa would also work well in this bowl.
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This post was sponsored by Saffron Road Foods. All words and opinions are honest and my own. Posts such as these help to me to keep this blog going! 🙂
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Mark Salamon
Monday 23rd of January 2017
Delicious! I'm going to make this for everyone I know who think it takes superhuman will power to be vegan, which is about a million people. (Don't you miss meat, isn't it expensive, doesn't it take forever, how do you get enough protein...) Food like this is the only way to change people's minds. Keep up the great work!
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Wednesday 8th of February 2017
100% agree and thank you for the kind words! :D
Cheerfully Vegan
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
I really appreciate Saffron Road's Korean Stir Fry Simmer Sauce when I'm too pressed for time to create a homemade sauce. In fact, I think I have some in my pantry and homemade kimchi in my fridge! Perfect. I shall be making this soon.
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
Perfect!! Can't wait to hear what you think. :)
Suzy
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
Looks good Jackie! But what's the sodium in the stir fry mix? Thanks!
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
Thank you, Suzy! It's roughly 1200mg for the whole packet, so if you use the whole thing in this recipe it's 300mg per serving. Hope that helps!