I work right around the corner from an amazing Macrobiotic restaurant in Manhattan called Souen. Ever since my office moved to Soho, I’ve been getting Souen for lunch almost every day (literally). I have been getting so addicted to their steamed vegetables with brown rice & tahini-dill dressing that I knew it was time to create my own!!
First of all…What is Macrobiotics?
From Souen.net:
“Macrobiotics is thought of as a path to health and healing with traditional Japanese natural foods.
It is thought that by eating balanced foods such as grains and vegetables that are more local and in season, we can maintain good physical and spiritual health and live in harmony with nature. A typical Macrobiotic plate will consist of grains, beans, seaweed, vegetables and vegetable protein, such as tofu, seitan, beans or tempeh. Macrobiotics dictates eating food in a natural way – unrefined and unprocessed.” (Read more at Souen.net)
The meal I’m creating doesn’t involve every one of those elements listed above, but it is definitely macro-inspired! The vegetables used in Souen’s steamed vegetable dish are broccoli, carrots and my newest love, kabocha squash. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a kabocha squash at Whole Foods (I think I may need to check out a Japanese grocery store to find this squash year-round), so I got an acorn squash instead.
Here’s what you need to create my favorite Souen meal:
- 1 kabocha squash (or acorn if you can’t find kabocha)
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 large carrot
- 1 cup brown rice (uncooked. will make about 3 cups cooked)
- gomasio (sesame seed sea salt, optional)
- tahini-dill dressing (instructions below)
Tahini-Dill dressing (I don’t know what they put into their tahini-dill dressing at Souen, so this is my creation):
- 3/4 cup of tahini (sesame paste)
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp tamari
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tbsp fresh dill
- 1/2 cup water
- Blend all dressing ingredients together in a blender/food processor. You’ll definitely have extra dressing, so cut down the recipe if you want to make less.
Note: I created the tahini from scratch by soaking raw sesame seeds for a few hours and then using my Vita-Mix to blend them into a paste (about 2 cups of soaked sesame seeds mixed with 1/2 cup water). You can buy tahini in a jar at the store, too, just like any other nut butter.
- Cook your brown rice (boil for about 45 minutes).
- Chop kabocha or acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Chop into 5-6 smaller pieces and steam until tender (about 15-20 minutes)
- Chop carrots and broccoli into bite-sized pieces and steam until they reach desired tenderness.
- When the rice is cooked, sprinkle it with gomasio and drizzle with a small portion of the tahini-dill dressing, and mix well.
…..then I like to mix it all around into a mush. :)
I love this meal so much…It’s so simple, but it will keep you feeling satisfied for hours. I think the veggies, rice & tahini are super filling on their own, but you can add tofu, beans, or whatever else you’d like too. :) ENJOY!!!
xoxo
Sarah says
Hey! Sounds yummy… I’m obsessed with Souen as well! Macro plate is my fave…. I actuallly just tried to copy the tahini dill dressing as well. I even asked how they make it. She told me puree tofu, tahini, dill, garlic, lemon, water, tamari. I tried that but something is still missing! After reading yours I think it’s the miso! The tofu gives it the thicknes so you don’t need so much tahini. I know its healthy fat but 3/4 cup isnt necessary. Thought I’d share my knowledge with a fellow Souen lover!!
stephanie says
hello. did you try it with the miso and tofu at any point after this? I just made her recipe and it tasted like too much tahini for me. It was really good, but I felt like it needed something to tone down the tahini. Thanks for posting the Souen recipe!
Tina Leon says
Hello! I miss Souen sooo much especially the CARROT dressing, I would like to make it at home while im pregnant with my first, do you know how they make it?! I would love to pour it! Thanks!
deanne says
Just tried the your recipe and it worked really well – made 1/2 the dressing quantity and that was plenty. Thanks for sharing (from Australia!)
Angèle says
I’m obsessed with Souen! Thanks for the recipe! I added hajiki seaweed and kale!
Selah says
Anyone have the recipe for their hummus?
Mike says
I too love this dressing at the same restaurant. And I started making a similar kind of meal at home. My recipe is a little bit different because I like milder and other flavors and I couldn’t quite find every ingredient.
Equal portions of tofu, tahini, water
Tbsp each dill and lime or lemon juice
Half a clove of garlic
Teaspoon low salt soy sauce (couldn’t find the Japanese kind and it is just fine)
With a little extra tofu the flavor is milder which I like and it’s a wonderful topping to a simple rich meal.
I also sub quinoa for brown rice
And I bought hijiki seaweed online and it makes a wonderful side dish that is less intense in flavor that I feared. I don’t naturally love seaweed but I know it’s very healthful and blended within all the other flavored or a macro place like this it’s a nice balance and very edible.