I’ve been so obsessed with tamari recently. For someone who didn’t know tamari existed until a few years ago, it’s found a new place in my pantry essentials. I used to use soy sauce, but these days it’s 100% tamari instead.
Tamari is similar to soy sauce, in the sense that they both come from fermented soy beans. However, there are some difference between the two.
Tamari is a liquid by-product from miso paste. Soy sauce is made from soy beans cooked and fermented with wheat products. As a result, soy sauce is not gluten-free, but tamari can be. Also, tamari is less salty and a little thicker than soy sauce.
When shopping for tamari, look for organic because soybeans are one of the largest GMO crops in the world. Look for the gluten-free tamari as well.
So basically I’ve been throwing tamari on everything. When Mike asked for a teriyaki-type sauce, I was trying to find something that picked up on those rich asian flavours. I whipped up a very quick sauce, and we’ve been using this for the past few months. I wouldn’t call it teriyaki, but it’s a great blend between sweet and savoury. And so very perfect paired with a chicken and vegetable stir-fry.. I’m sure it’d make a great chicken marinade, too! You could make this meal vegetarian by swapping the chicken with chickpeas or lentils.
- 3-4 organic chicken breasts
- 1 1/4 cup basmati rice (+2 1/2 cups water to cook rice)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup leeks, chopped
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 1/2 - 1 full head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 green zucchini, sliced
- 4 tbsp of gluten-free, organic tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 large clove garlic, minced (or 2 small)
- 1/4 tsp sesame oil
- Cook chicken breast in the oven, at 350F until cooked thoroughly (about 30-40 minutes). Ensure internal temperature is at least 165F.
- Meanwhile, cook rice according to directions. Takes about 20 minutes.
- While rice and chicken are both cooking, prepare the stir-fry. Add coconut oil to a frying pan. Once melted, add all vegetables. Sauté until vegetables are heated through, but still a bit crunchy in the middle. Should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Create the Sweet Tamari sauce by combining tamari, maple syrup, garlic and sesame oil. Whisk until combined.
- Top your plate with rice, veggies, and slices of cooked chicken. Drizzle Sweet Tamari sauce all over and serve.
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