Supper Club: 3 rice recipes to try this week

Sunny-side-up egg, chicken and pak choi rice bowl

The Creole bol renversé translates (unsurprisingly) as “upside-down bowl”. It’s a theatrical Sino-Mauritian dish that is found on Chinese restaurant menus and in cafés dotted across the island. The surprise is in the unveiling of the perfect dome of rice, topped with chicken and vegetables in a soy and oyster sauce. It is then crowned with a fried egg, which I take great pleasure in piercing so the golden yolk trickles down the sides.

Ingredients

• 250g basmati rice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
• 125g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 130g baby corn, chopped
• 300g chicken breast, cut into strips, then halved
• 200g pak choi, trimmed, stalks cut diagonally into thin slices, leaves torn
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 150ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp finely chopped chives

Method

1. Firstly, soak the rice for 30 minutes in cold water (or wash a few times until the water runs clear). Drain well. Cook your basmati rice according to the packet instructions.
2. Place all your prepared vegetables and the chicken on a large plate, so everything is ready to add to the wok.
3. Place a large wok over a high heat and add the vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add in your onion, garlic and ginger and, using a metal spoon or spatula, keep stirring the ingredients in the pan to avoid burning. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Tip in the carrot, mushrooms, corn and chicken strips, give that all a good mix together and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Next goes in the pak choi, which will wilt down eventually. I use all of it, even the white harder ends, which retain a nice crunch when cooked.
5. Create the base of the sauce by adding the soy, oyster and fish sauces into the wok and give them a good stir. Pour in the cornflour water mixture – this will thicken it all up and result in a glossy, light brown liquid.
6. Turn the heat down to a medium simmer, cover and gently cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked throughout and the corn and carrots are softened, but still retain a slight crunch. Set aside.
7. In the meantime, fry the eggs. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat and crack in the eggs, one at a time. Cook for around 4 minutes, taking care not to break the yolks, then turn off the heat and let them sit for 1 minute.
8. Take four medium-sized bowls, one per person, and begin to layer up your magic bowl. First divide the chicken and vegetable mixture into each bowl, then divide the rice equally and gently press down so you can’t see any of the chicken mixture.
9. Take a dinner plate and get ready to invert your bowl (this is the trick). Place the plate over your bowl and, holding the plate securely, flip it over (so the bowl is upside down on your plate). Gently lift up the bowl to unveil your bol renversé, and carefully place an egg on the top. Scatter with chives and add chilli paste on the side.

Extracted from The Island Kitchen: Recipes from Mauritius and the Indian Ocean by Selina Periampillai (Bloomsbury).

Danai Kougiouli’s vegan tofu stir-fry

Easy, healthy, with simple ingredients? This vegan tofu stir-fry recipe is comfort on a plate.

Ingredients

For the tofu and vegetables

• 1 medium package firm or extra firm tofu
• 150g green beans, chopped
• 150g carrots, diced
• 300g baby corns
• 70g kale, chopped
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (or peanut or coconut)

For the sauce

• 60ml low-sodium, gluten-free tamari soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 tbsp agave nectar

To serve

• Brown rice to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Remove tofu from package. Drain and place it between two thick paper towels. Then place a plate or bowl on top along with something heavy like a book. Let it dry for about 15 minutes, changing your paper towels if they get too wet. Slice tofu into cubes.
2. Arrange tofu on a baking sheet and bake for a total of 30-35 minutes, flipping once halfway through to ensure even cooking. Once it’s golden brown and a bit firm, remove from the oven and set it out to dry.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
4. Place pan on medium heat, add sesame oil. Next, add veggies and toss to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. When the vegetables are softened and have some colour, add the sauce and stir. Then add the tofu and stir for another 3-5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Extracted from Good to Glow: Feel-Good Food by Tali Shine and Steph Adams. (teNeues),  www.teneues.com. Photo – Patrycia Lukas, recipe – Danai Kougiouli. Book cover photo – Nikki To.

One-tray sticky soy roasted salmon and veg

This easy, flavourful dish is perfect for a quick work night dinner. If you’re serving fewer people, I’d think about making the full quantity and taking any leftovers for lunch the next day. Serve as it is for a carb-free dinner, or with rice or quick-cook noodles.

Ingredients

• 200g tenderstem broccoli
• 125g asparagus spears
• 200g sugar snap peas
• 200g frozen peas
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• quick-cook noodles or rice, to serve (optional)

For the salmon

• 4 salmon fillets
• ½ tbsp good soy sauce
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tbsp honey

For the dressing

• 6cm fresh ginger, grated
  
• 1 lime, juice only
  
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
  
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  
• a handful of peanuts, roughly chopped
  
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Put the broccoli into a large bowl, pour over a kettleful of boiling water, leave to stand for 1 minute, then drain well.
2. Mix the broccoli, asparagus, sugar snaps, frozen peas, sea salt and sesame oil in a roasting tin. Put the salmon fillets in around the veg, then mix the soy, sesame oil and honey and spread this over each fillet. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the ginger, lime juice, sesame oil and spring onions together. Once the salmon is cooked, pour the dressing over the vegetables. Scatter over the chopped peanuts and chilli. Taste and adjust the lime juice and salt as needed and serve hot.

Tip: I’ve said to blanch the tenderstem as it improves the texture on roasting, but you can use ordinary broccoli instead if you prefer and skip this stage.