Caramelised Mince & Coconut Rice Bowls

This recipe is inspired by Vietnamese caramelised pork mince – but uses just coconut aminos as the seasoning, to much the same effect (in my opinion). I love that this recipe comes out exactly the same every time, because the seasoning is not an emulsion of multiple ingredients. Making it something you can cook when you're struggling to stay on your feet midweek. You can prep the cabbage and aromatics in advance too – to give your future self a helping hand, and pair this with plain rice if that feels more doable.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• handful finely chopped spring onions (plus more to garnish, optional)
• thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled & finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
• drizzle of garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil
• drizzle of light-flavoured vegetable oil
• 200-250g veggie mince, e.g. V2 or Impossible Mince
• 1/4 small purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• pinch of salt

Coconut Rice (optional)

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 200ml coconut milk or coconut cream
• hot water
• 1 tsp chicken-flavoured stock powder
• a few knobs of dairy-free butter (or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil)

METHOD

1. Prepare your vegetables and aromatics – with the onion, spring onions, ginger & chilli grouped together, and the cabbage & carrot grouped together.
2. Start the Coconut Rice, so it simmers while you cook the mince and cabbage. Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs mostly clear. Add to a pot along with the coconut milk or cream and enough hot water to create 1 1/2 cups (375ml – we're talking Australian metric cups) of liquid in total. I add the coconut milk or cream to the cup and top it up accordingly. Add the stock powder and stir. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to low heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. After which, turn off the heat, add a few knobs of dairy-free butter to the top of the rice, cover again and let sit for at least 5 (preferably 10-15) minutes before stirring to fluff and evenly distribute the butter.
3. Once the rice is simmering, take a medium-large frypan and place over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil and once hot add the onion, spring onion, ginger and chilli. Stir for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and starting to soften. Add a drizzle of light-flavoured vegetable oil and once hot, add the mince, breaking it up into clumps with a wooden spoon. Over low-medium heat, leave the mince to gain some colour before stirring & breaking it up further with a wooden spoon. Once brown, add the cabbage and carrot and stir near-constantly for a minute or so, until softened and reduced in volume. Now add the coconut aminos, brown sugar, salt and sauté for a minute to caramelise the mince. Taste and adjust the seasonings (adding more coconut aminos, sugar and salt), if the flavours aren't punchy enough (it will depend on the seasonings in the veggie mince you used).
4. Serve the caramelised mince and cabbage with the prepared coconut rice and garnish with the green onions, if desired.