Thai-Spiced Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups uncooked rice (I used long-grain brown rice)
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• Thumb-tip of peeled fresh ginger, pressed or minced
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• ¼ cup soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium tamari)
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter
• 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
• Generous squeeze of honey
• 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots (I used my julienne peeler)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (optional; I used a regular cucumber and seeded it before slicing)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the rice: Cook the rice according to the package instructions, then stir in the butter and salt. (Here’s how I cook brown rice.)
2. Make the broth: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, add the oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the remaining broth ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes to develop the flavor.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. To serve, divide the rice evenly among 6 serving bowls. Top each serving evenly with the broth. Garnish as desired.