Oh! How I used to love getting a Dragon Bowl from Angelica Kitchen! Chockablock full of vitamins, it wasn’t just a healthy meal after going for a run—it was also such a simple treasure to eat, rooting through all the tasty vegetables and seaweed dressed in a delicious tahini sauce.
Angelica closed some years ago, most unfortunately. While I realize that things must change, I nevertheless mourn the loss of my favorite Manhattan places (along with the memories they held), especially when they are replaced by something less memorable.
While the recipes for my beloved chimichangas from Bandito’s and Croque Monsieurs from Café de Bruxelles have been lost to time, I did find the recipe for the Dragon Bowl they used to serve at Angelica.
Be inventive and use your favorite greens, beans, and root vegetables to fill the bowl. I hope you enjoy this little time capsule! Per usual, my comments below are in italics.
Dragon Bowl
From the kitchen of Jules Dirsa originally adapted from a recipe in The Angelica Home Kitchen by Leslie McEachern.
Ingredients
1 bunch of steamed greens (ex: collard greens, mustard greens, kale, Swiss chard, or bok choy)
1 cup rice or other grains
1 cup beans or tofu (adzuki beans or garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc.)
4 cups root vegetables or seasonal steamed vegetables (ex: carrots, beets, summer squash, rutabaga, parsnip, or zucchini)
1 oz or 1 cup sea vegetables (arame, sea palm, or hijiki, etc)
2 tbsp. tamari (wheat-free) or shoyu (brewed soy sauce)
1/3 cup julienned carrots
1/3 cup of onion sliced into thin crescents
4 cups of water
For the Dressing
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley, washed, dried, and chopped
1 whole scallion/green onion, rinsed and sliced
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley, washed, dried, and chopped
1 whole scallion/green onion, rinsed and sliced
1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon umeboshi paste (can be hard to find, also expensive; try subbing with brown rice vinegar or red wine vinegar with a dash of salt)
1/2 cup of water
Method
1. Prepare the rice and protein of choice, steam the greens and veggies.
1/2 cup of water
Method
1. Prepare the rice and protein of choice, steam the greens and veggies.
2. If using sea veggies: Soak for 30 minutes, then simmer in water for 25 minutes with julienned carrots, onion, and tamari.
3. Assemble the bowl by layering each component into a colorful pile.
4. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender and puree until smooth.
5. Pour dressing on top of assembled dragon bowl.
