Lunchbox anatomy: Seasonal Salad Rice Bowl

Since starting school this past Monday, we’ve already had our first gross anatomy session, which will continue weekly until early next year. Having read Pauline Chen’s reflective account of her anatomy experience in Final Exam (highly recommend), I was excited but also apprehensive—experiencing firsthand the deepest sense of awe and respect for the donor and his gift to us, fearfully and wonderfully made.

Less impressively made are my lunches, which I aim to keep simple but fresh. In an effort to do more than just post a photo, I’m hoping to share the breakdown of these meals. I liken it to anatomy given the degree of variation from the ‘model’—take the ‘instructions’ below to be an outline—you decide how much or how little or which ingredients to substitute in/out based on what you have on hand. You’ve been given a guide; the rest is for you to discover. 

I originally intended to make a simplified version of bibimbap, a mix of fresh vegetables, an egg and/or other protein along with spicy gochujang and kimchi—however, after having decided on including bread and butter pickled vegetables and goat cheese, I decided to let those be the seasoning for this dish. That and smoked paprika, which works wonders—contributing the smoky flavor you thought you could only get from a grill.

Seasonal salad rice bowl

Vegetables

--raw broccoli, broken into smaller pieces

--raw squash, sliced lengthwise (1/4”)

-bread and butter pickled vegetables

Protein

--Microwave poached egg

--goat cheese, crumbled

Carbohydrate

--cooked brown rice (I used a short-grain rice for a chewier texture)

Seasoning

--Extra virgin olive oil

--coarse ground salt

--smoked paprika

Guide

Place brown rice at bottom of bowl and proceed to top with vegetables and pickles. Then top with protein. Store in fridge, prior to serving or the day of, add seasonings—drizzle on the olive oil, dash on some salt and paprika. Enjoy!