The Healthy Bowl from Beverley Hills Cafe

I've mentioned here before how there are a few restaurants I really miss from back home. One of these is The Beverly Hills Cafe in Miami. Actually not in Miami, because it closed, much to our dismay on our last trip to Miami. B. and I used to go there often; we just couldn't get enough of their hot rolls, great salads, dressings and for me, the healthy bowl. A rice bowl with lots of veggies and your choice of protein from steak, chicken, shrimp or salmon. Beverly Hills cafe specialized in casual American cuisine- so this is an Americanized take on an Asian dish. Not any dish in particular, just Asian elements like Teriyaki sauce, and bean sprouts etc... So here's my attempt below.

Please note, you can make this dish vegetarian by omitting the steak and using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock for the rice.

For the Yellow rice:
2 cups parboiled rice
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 onion finely diced
1 red pepper finely diced
2 tbsp annatto oil or 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
1 tsp salt

First dice up the onions and red pepper. Add the annatto oil to a pan (with a lid for steaming later). Or if you're using saffron instead, add 2 tbsp. of olive or canola oil to the pan and then transfer the onions and peppers and sauté. Wash the rice well in a sieve and remove all of the excess water. Transfer the rice to the pan and sauté on high heat, mixing in the peppers and onions. Next add the stock, the saffron threads and salt, and stir well. Let the rice cook on high heat until about half of the liquid has absorbed, then cover with a lid and turn the heat to low.

For the Teriyaki sauce:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used z sweet and a dash of honey since we're trying to cut the amount of sugar we're eating)
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Add all of the ingredients to a small sauce pan (except the cornstarch and water which you'll add at the very end to thicken up the sauce a bit) and let it simmer until you have the consistency of a glaze or the sauce coats a spoon well. Mix the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce to thicken it a little. Use half of the sauce for the flank steak and reserve the rest for drizzling on top later.

For the steak:
1 lb. skirt steak

Trim the steak of any visible fat, rinse and pat it dry. Transfer it to a meat cutting board and place a piece of plastic wrap over the top, large enough to cover the whole piece. Use a meat mallet to pound out the steak and really tenderize it. Flip the steak over and pound on the other side. Brush one side of the steak with the Teriyaki sauce and place face down on the grill. I used my outdoor grill for this dish as the flame-grilled flavor reallyis closer to the original dish. Let the steak cook undisturbed for about 6 minutes. Flip it over and brush the Teriyaki sauce on the other side. Let the flank steak cook for another 4-5 minutes on this side. Let it rest for about 8 minutes before slicing on the bias.

Vegetables:
1 carrots
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced red cabbage
1 red pepper
1 green onion bunch
1 cup bean sprouts

Peel and cut the carrot into small pieces. Slice the cabbage into thin shreds and cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Steam gently until the veggies are cooked, but still have a little bite. Slice the green onions and red peppers and set aside.

To assemble:
Scoop a bed of rice on a serving platter. Next place a layer of vegetables in the middle. Next add the steak and drizzle with a little Teriyaki sauce. Lastly top with crunchy Asian noodles and serve.