Rice bowls with mushrooms, fried eggs and sesame recipe

Assemble all your rice bowl ingredients and briefly cook them while the rice steams, leaving you the egg to fry at the very last minute to top the rice bowl.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

• 300g short-grain rice, brown or white, as you like

• Vegetable or sunflower oil, to fry

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks, or coarsely grated

• 200g tofu (I used smoked tofu), sliced into 1cm pieces

• 2 large mushrooms, sliced into 1cm slices

• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

• Handful of beansprouts, soaked in boiling water then drained

• 4 eggs

For the dressing

• 3 tbsp light or dark soy sauce

• 2 tsp soft brown or caster sugar

• 4 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp chilli paste such as gochujang, or use 2 tsp of your favourite chilli flakes

To serve

• 1 heaped tbsp kimchi per serving (optional)

• ½ bunch spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

• 1 heaped tsp toasted sesame seeds per serving (optional)

• Chilli sauce or hot sauce of your choice

METHOD

1.  Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing together and put to one side in a small serving bowl.

2. Wash and cook the rice in 450ml of water in a pan covered with a tight-fitting lid for between 15 to 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

3. Get ready to stir-fry with a wok or large frying pan over a high heat.

4. Stir-fry the carrot in one tablespoon of oil for about one minute until lightly bronzed but still with crunch, then put to one side on a plate. Next, fry the tofu and mushrooms using a splash more oil for a couple of minutes until just coloured. Put to one side with the carrot.

5. Steam or boil the broccoli florets for two minutes, then drain.

6. When the rice is ready, at the last minute, fry the eggs in a splash more oil over a moderate to high heat to your liking, for between two to four minutes.

7. Divide the rice among the serving bowls, adding the stir-fried vegetables and tofu, the steamed broccoli, softened beansprouts and, finally, place the egg on top. Then spoon over the sesame dressing.

8. Add the kimchi, if using, and the sliced spring onions. Scatter with extra toasted sesame at the table if you like, and add a few drops of chilli sauce or hot sauce of choice. Alternatively, you can use more chilli flakes or chilli paste to taste.