Ground Turkey Asian Rice Bowl

We like Asian food. I like ground turkey better than ground beef (and turkey bacon over pork bacon). This was a win-win. It is a quick meal. It uses fresh vegetables, and it tastes very good! The fish sauce and chili paste were the hardest ingredients to find, but I found them both on the international aisle at the grocery story. Otherwise, I all the ingredients except the fresh vegetables on hand.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1.25 lbs. lean ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten free)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili paste (gochujang)

For serving:

2 cups rice (I used brown.)

Asian pickled vegetables or you could just use raw vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos)
cilantro, about a handful, chopped for topping

Optional: sauce to serve over the finished dish:
1/4 cup soy sauce (or Tamari if gluten free), 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili paste



Instructions:

In a large, non-stick pan over high heat, cook sesame oil and garlic cloves for 30 seconds. 

Then add in the ground turkey and sprinkle with salt. 

Break up the turkey as it cooks for 5 minutes. 

Then, when there is only a little bit of pink showing, add in the fresh ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili paste and continue cooking, stirring and breaking up the turkey as it cooks, for another 4-5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.

Cook rice according to package instructions and set aside.

Chop cilantro and get your vegetables ready. (Drain the liquid from the pickled vegetables or chop the raw vegetables.)

If making the sauce to go over the finished dish, stir the ingredients together and set aside.

To assemble: divide rice between 4 bowls, top each bowl with 1/4 of the turkey, add pickled vegetables and top with a pinch of cilantro.

Enjoy!