Asian Short Rib Rice and Veggie Bowls

Instructions

Prepare the meat and sauce:

1. *Follow this Asian Short Rib Recipe to cook 3 pounds of short ribs in the slow cooker or the oven. Use tongs to remove meat from the slow cooker to a plate or cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle.
2. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl; discard any solids left in the strainer. Let the sauce sit undisturbed for 5-10 minutes than skim as much excess fat from the top of the liquid as possible, discarding the fat. (*See note.)
3. Add 2 tablespoon cornstarch and about ½ cup of the cooking liquid to a bowl and stir to combine. Add the rest of the cooking liquid to a heavy bottom saucepan. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and let simmer, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until the sauce is thick.
4. Meanwhile, pull the short rib meat from the bones and shred it into strips; discard bones and any pieces that are super fatty.
5. Combine the shredded short rib meat with the sauce, stirring to coat the meat in the sauce.

Make the Rice and Vegetables:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Trim the bottom and remove the core from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, crosswise. Then cut each half into three thick slices, for a total of six slices. Lay the cabbage slices in a 9×13 baking dish; it’s ok if they overlap a bit.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave in a small dish. Stir 1 tablespoon olive oil into the butter. With a pastry brush or a spoon, brush the cabbage with the butter and oil. Sprinkle each slice generously with salt and pepper.
4. Roast until the edges of the cabbage slices are brown and crispy, about 35-40 minutes.
5. Prepare the rice: Add 1 ½ cups of water to a medium size saucepan and add the rice and chili garlic oil. Cover tightly and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on. Let sit for 10 minutes.
6. While the rice cooks, sauté the vegetables: Break the asparagus stalks in half - letting them snap wherever they like. Discard the bottom half of the stalks (or freeze for cream of asparagus soup), and cut the tips into pieces that are about 2-inches long. Remove the stem and seeds from the red bell peppers and slice them into pieces that are about ½-inch thick.
7. Add a teaspoon or two of oil to a skillet and set it over high heat. Working in batches (it's important to not over crowd the pan), sauté the asparagus, red peppers, and bok choy for 2-3 minutes, just until they are crisp-tender. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt and pepper while they cook. Dump each cooked batch of vegetables into a large bowl.
8. To serve: Reheat the short rib meat in the microwave if necissary. Spoon some rice into a bowl. Top with veggies and short ribs in their sauce.