Ok let's go way back to 2013 for a moment: cue lights. It's sunset in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Matt and I are sitting in this humid little outdoor restaurant eating what has probably been our twentieth bowl of green curry since we first arrived to the region two months prior. Half way through it Matt's having a hissy fit trying to figure out just what the hell he's tasting in all of these curries that is so freaking good. Something floral, and slightly sweet, with a hint of citrus. We rule out lemongrass, and ginger, and ginger's cousin, galangal, and then we (bright idea) google what the hell is in green curry and *dingdingding* we figure out that it's kaffir lime leaf. This wonderful little leaf has a distinctly lime flavor, with notes of like confederate jasmine flowers or some shit like that. We started looking into how to use the leaves and, turns out, they're just incredible and add a depth of flavor to just about any dish you toss it into. You can find kaffir lime leaves at most international markets, and for all you Nola folks out there, we found ours at Hong Kong Market.

In this particular dish, we cook the barley in chicken stock with a couple kaffir lime leaves and dannnnnng sis, it's dope. The bed of cooked barley gets topped with sauteed oyster mushrooms, broiled white fish (we used local flounder!), and a good pour over of miso ginger broth. If you do it in the order we have below, you can have it all ready in one hour from start to finish, and - bonus - it's healthy as heck! We're always trying to eat loads of fish and grains and veggies and not go too hard on the baked goods, and simple recipes like this are a huge help.

We got inspiration for making something on the healthier side when the super cute team behind Smarty Health reached out and told us they were worried about how much we drink and how many baked goods we eat. Ok, they didn't say that, I'm kidding. But they did tell us about their new adult men's gummy vitamins and wanted us to try them to which we were like, "pssh, yeah!" and lo and behold now we take vitamins daily. Anyhow, we thought it'd be fun to do a healthy recipe in collaboration with their new line of men's gummy vitamins, because yeah we do actually care about health, OK! You can find the recipe for this bowl below, and check out our Instagram tonight for an announcement about a giveaway for a whole month's supply of their vitamins! Kisses to you all <3

Miso Ginger + Baked Flounder Barley Bowls

serves 2

To make this all in one hour flat, we recommend starting with the barley, then the broth, and finishing by preparing the fish and mushrooms. Assembly comes at the very end!

Kaffir Barley

1 cup pearled barley
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 Kaffir lime leaves

Miso Ginger Broth

1 quart chicken stock
5 tablespoons white miso
1" nub ginger, sliced into thin strips
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 small shallot, sliced
1 Thai chili (or more if you're a baller), chopped
2 green onions, sliced
Juice of 1 small lime
1 Kaffir lime leaf

Baked White Fish

2 fillets white fish such as flounder, about 6 oz each
1 small shallot, chopped
1 green onion, sliced
2 Kaffir lime leaves
1 Thai chili, chopped
2 slices ginger (about 1/4" thick)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms

1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green onion, sliced
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Begin by making the barley. Bring the barley, 2.5 cups chicken stock, and 2 lime leaves to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and cover, let simmer for 45 minutes until the liquid is dissolved. Drain off any excess liquid.
After you start the barley, begin the miso ginger broth. In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat, whisk the miso into the broth until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Some of the liquid will evaporate.
Once you have the broth going, prepare the fish. Tear off a square of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the fish, and place a single filet in the center. Repeat with the other filet. Evenly divide the chilies, shallots, and green onion between the two filets. Give a sprinkle or salt and pepper and a squeeze of the lime juice. Top with a single kaffir lime leaf and ginger slice on top of each filet. Wrap in foil and place on a sturdy baking pan or skillet and bake for 15 minutes, until the center is completely white and does not have any translucence to it.
While the fish is baking, prepare the mushrooms by heating the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and adding the mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper. Saute for four minutes, at which point they should be browning slightly, and toss in the green onions. Cook for an additional minute and remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble the bowls by scooping in the barley, followed by a few of the sauteed mushrooms, the fish, and a nice pour of the broth. Enjoy!

Thanks a ton to Smarty Health for sponsoring this post, and to all of our readers who support the sponsors that keep Probably This alive!

Miso Ginger + Baked Flounder Barley Bowls & a Giveaway!