The story of how I came to create these sweet and sour bowls with homemade sauce is a bit personal and a little bit cringey. That’s because sweet & sour chicken was the first Asian meal I was okay with eating. And I was a very picky eater as a child, so admitting this feels very significant (and a little embarrassing) to admit.
So when my partner requested it for dinner one night, I was pumped to make it. It’s time to recreate a favorite, admittedly mostly from taste memory. But this means it was bound to turn into a meal prep! It’s the only way, right?
You might be wondering, wait, where’s the protein???
There isn’t any direct protein source in this meal, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be hungry again 10 minutes after eating this. Plenty of vegetables have protein in them (it’s true; looking at you broccoli and Brussels sprouts!) There’s plenty of protein in vegetables and even rice has some protein in it! At first, the idea seems a little weird, but try it and see how it goes.
How to Add Protein to Sweet and Sour Bowls
If you know you definitely need an ingredient that’s higher in protein for these sweet & sour bowls with homemade sauce, here’s what to add:
- Chickpeas! Yes. Chickpeas in the sweet and sour sauce would be awesome. Bonus points if you roast them ahead of time and make ’em crispy before tossing in the sauce. (Just know they won’t be so crispy next time around when you reheat, though…)
- Our usual suspects: Tempeh or tofu! A fool-proof choice for an Asian-inspired meal. Seitan will work, too.
- Edamame! Same as the chickpeas – this would be awesome if you roasted the edamame to make it crispy then add it to the sauce.
- Add shrimp! It cook so so fast, just keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand. Try cooked chicken, pork, beef or salmon, or even tuna if you like.
- More veggies! Again, veggies like kale, broccoli, peas and mushrooms pack more protein than others. Can’t go wrong with more veggies. It can be a really useful way to fridge-clear if you don’t have equal amounts of all veggies.
- Replace rice with quinoa! Quinoa has plenty of protein in it and would taste amazing in this dish.
RELATED: Easy Buddha Bowls with Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes
What Veggies to Substitute in these Sweet and Sour Bowls
You can absolutely add other veggies to this dish or trade the broccoli for other options. Here are some we like:
- sugar snap peas
- bell pepper (which I used in mine!)
- baby corn
- carrots
- peas
- green beans
- cabbage
- onion
- sturdy greens (think kale or collards)
- zucchini or yellow/summer squash
- asparagus
Think about fun veggies you like in Asian takeout dishes and use that as inspiration, too. You can even keep things like canned baby corn, water chestnuts, or bean sprouts on hand to give this dish some more oomph! Pantry staples make cooking so much easier. Make it yours!
TIP: As always, you can swap out rice for other grains if you’re not a rice person.
How to add more volume or double this recipe
As always, my first recommendation to add more volume is to start with adding more broccoli or choosing another veggie to add to the meal. You can also add another protein element mentioned above and you can always add more rice/grains! This will easily add volume, which will ALSO give you more servings, too.
However, if you want to double (or even triple!) the recipe, you’ll need to be more systematic. Make sure just double the ingredients for the veggies, rice and the sauce. And you will definitely need more cooking time for the rice!
How to store and reheat sweet and sour bowls
This meal can be stored in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight covered container. It’s not freezer friendly. Rice doesn’t always do so well when you reheat from frozen if it’s combined with other ingredients that give off water and/or it’s in a sauce. Facts.
However, feel free to reheat this dish in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Sometimes adding a little bit of water is helpful, especially over the rice so it doesn’t get crunchy in the microwave. You can also always reheat things the old-fashioned way, too, in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat, with a dash of oil (or again, a bit more water).
Happy prepping 🙂
Takeout-Inspired Vegetarian Sweet & Sour Bowls With Homemade Sauce
Ingredients
For the rice
- 3/4 cup rice I use jasmine rice
- 1-1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Sauce and Cauliflower
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup sweet chili sauce also works
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup agave, maple syrup or honey sub white sugar
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 2 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 TBSP brown sugar light or dark
- 1 TBSP olive oil for cooking cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower chopped into florets (can also use tofu, tempeh or edamame)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
For Veggies
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 head broccoli chopped
- 2 cups pineapple canned, frozen or fresh
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- sesame seeds optional for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice: add the rice, water and a pinch of salt to a pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat as low as possible. Let it cook for 10 minutes over low heat, then turn the heat off and let it steam for 10 minutes. No peeking or stirring!
- Prepare the sauce: add the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, water, honey, soy sauce, garlic and brown sugar a measuring glass. Whisk until smooth, taste and adjust flavors to your preference if desired.
- Prepare the cauliflower: Heat up a skillet over a medium flame. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower, salt and cornstarch together in a bowl.
- Cook the cauliflower: add the oil to the pan, followed by the cauliflower. To avoid crowding the pan, you may need to add the cauliflower in batches. Cook on each side over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the florets until completely cooked through and slightly golden in color. Remove the cauliflower from the pan and set aside. Repeat this process if necessary.
- With all the cauliflower back in the pan, pour in the sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened. Toss the cauliflower to coat the pieces in the sauce. If the sauce isn’t thickening, combine 1/4 cup water with 2 tsp cornstarch and add it to the pan over medium heat and stir – this will help it thicken faster.
- Remove the cauliflower and most of the sauce from the pan and set aside. We want to keep some of the sauce in the pan to flavor the veggies!
- Cook the veggies: Add a little oil to the pan over medium heat. After a minute, add the broccoli, red bell pepper, pineapple, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the broccoli is a rich, bright green color. You can cover the pan so the broccoli will steam and cook faster. When the veggies are done, you have the option of tossing the cauliflower in with them to mix it all together.
- To assemble: divide the rice, veggies and cauliflower between three meal prep containers. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired. Let the meals cool for 20-30 minutes before storing in the fridge.
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