The first time I had sushi (and probably a few times since then), I completely overdid it with the amount of wasabi I put into my soy sauce. You probably know that feeling – your eyes start to water and all that intense heat rises into your sinuses. I’ve learned to rein in my wasabi proportions since then, but I still love that slight kick you get from it. When I heard of adding wasabi to dressing, I was sold immediately.
While I love all of the contents of this Asian quinoa bowl, the star is really the wasabi lime dressing. It’s bright and flavorful with just a bit of kick in it. And with just four ingredients – peanut oil, rice wine vinegar, wasabi paste and fresh lime juice – it couldn’t be easier to make. The rest of the bowl, which includes edamame, avocado, cabbage and carrots, is so healthy and refreshing. I love all of the crunch from the cabbage and carrots paired with the soft avocado. Topped with some chopped peanuts and cilantro, this dish is truly addicting.
The great thing about quinoa bowls is that you can really use whatever you have on hand. Feel free to play around with the vegetables in this dish, though I do recommend having some edamame in there for protein. I can’t wait to use this dressing on other salads and Asian noodle dishes. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
- For the quinoa bowl:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 ripe avocado, cut into small chunks
- ⅔ cup edamame, shelled and cooked
- ⅔ cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped peanuts (optional garnish)
- For the dressing:
- 1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste, depending on personal preference
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- Juice and zest of one lime
- Pinch of salt
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- In the meantime, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- After cooked quinoa has cooled for a few minutes, combine it with the vegetables in a large bowl.
- Toss in the dressing and garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Notes:
Dressing loosely adapted from the lovely Nigella Lawson in her cookbook Nigella Express.
I would recommend starting with 1 teaspoon of wasabi and then giving it a taste. You can then slowly add more if so desired.
If you’re using wasabi powder instead of paste, simply add a few drops of water into the powder, stir, and let sit for about 5 minutes while the flavors develop. Then add the remaining dressing ingredients.
This looks lovely! Wasabi dressing is fantastic; I have a salmon salad with wasabi dressing on my blog that is a true favorite of mine. Can’t wait to make this quinoa bowl for lunch. It probably holds well which makes it a perfect packed lunch.
Thanks for visiting, Sini! I will have to check out your wasabi dressing – I’m sure it’s delicious. And yes, I think this quinoa bowl would be great for a packed lunch!
The first time I had wasabi I ate a big piece by itself – I didn’t know what it was. It was so hot I thought my eyes were melting ;). This salad looks great – I like avocado with the edamame and I like the lime juice in the dressing – good additions!
Ha! I’m sure we’re not the only ones out there who went overboard with wasabi the first time we had it. Everything in moderation, I suppose. I hope you like the dish!
A little birdie (a pygmy owl, I think it was) told me I might expect something like this at my own table, with brown basmati rice subbed in for the quinoa. The wasabi lime dressing sounds like a fun adventure. I’m really looking forward to trying it.
I bet it would be just as delicious with basmati rice! You can really make this bowl into whatever you want – feel free to change up the veggies, too. I think you’ll really like the dressing!
This recipe – holy cow! The wasabi lime dressing as the base to this beautiful veggie dish is making me want to drop everything and make this now. I love the heat wasabi brings to a dish – so much different than pepper! Definitely on my must make list!!!
Thanks, Sam! I agree – wasabi is such a wonderful and unique flavor. It really makes this dressing special! I hope you enjoy it!
I’ve gotta say, the dressing on this recipe is sublime!
You should try the dressing on soba noodles soon!
I made this for dinner last night, and it was absolutely delicious. Still good (maybe even better) the next day as leftovers. It wasn’t until I came back to leave a comment that I realized that I forgot to add the avocado! I love avocado. Even more motivation for me to make it again. Thanks for a great recipe, that even my husband, who claims to dislike quinoa, devoured.
Vivian, it’s great to hear you enjoyed the dish! If you’re looking for other Asian recipes, I think you’d like my sesame soba noodles. They have a somewhat similar dressing to the quinoa bowl, since it’s also got a rice wine vinegar base.