Turkey Rice Bowls With Bang Bang Sauce (Printable Version)
Seasoned turkey over rice with crisp vegetables and sweet-spicy Bang Bang sauce, ready in 35 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Rice
01 - 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
→ Ground Turkey
04 - 1 pound ground turkey
05 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
08 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
10 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
→ Bang Bang Sauce
12 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
13 - 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
14 - 1 tablespoon sriracha
15 - 1 teaspoon honey
16 - 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
→ Toppings & Vegetables
17 - 1 cup shredded carrots
18 - 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
19 - 1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
20 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
21 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
# How To Make It:
01 - Rinse rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork.
02 - While the rice cooks, heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the ground turkey, breaking it apart with a spatula, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until evenly browned and cooked through.
03 - Pour in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, black pepper, and sriracha if using. Stir thoroughly to coat the turkey evenly and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
04 - In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and lime juice until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the heat level to your preference.
05 - Divide the cooked rice evenly among 4 bowls. Layer each with the seasoned ground turkey, shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, red cabbage, and green onions. Drizzle generously with Bang Bang sauce and finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The Bang Bang sauce is the kind of thing you will want to put on everything from roasted vegetables to plain rice crackers.
- It comes together in about half an hour, which makes it a realistic weeknight dinner even when energy is low.
- Every component can be prepped while something else cooks, so you never feel overwhelmed or stuck waiting.
02 -
- Do not rush the rice resting step because those five covered minutes off the heat are what give you separate tender grains instead of a gummy mass.
- Ground turkey releases more moisture than you expect, so wait until most of the liquid has cooked off before adding the sauces or everything will taste watered down.
03 -
- Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet for about two minutes until they turn golden and fragrant, because this one small step makes a disproportionate difference in flavor.
- Let the turkey sit undisturbed for the first two minutes in the pan so it can develop some actual browning instead of steaming in its own juices.