I love a rice bowl. And this one is a dream. Crispy brown rice, flavoured with lime, green chilli and coriander and topped with all the green things and an egg. You can play around with what green stuff you add depending on the season or just what’s in your fridge. You’ll probably find you’re putting all sorts of stuff on top of this rice because it’s basically the bomb.

The idea for this comes from a rice bowl I had in LA at a cafe my friend Lianne took me too. It’s called Sqirl and they have all sorts of rice bowls and other yummy breakfast and lunch stuff so I of course loved it. This is my take on the crispy rice bowl I had there, I’ve added a few things and toned down others to suit my tastes. I also went a little less crispy/oily on the rice to make it feel a tiny bit lighter in my stomach. I’ve put a lot more veg in it than the original had as I developed this recipe during my 7 vegetables a day challenge.

Play with this recipe and make it you’re own. I’ve had it with and without the peanuts and both are as good as the other so it’s just about whether you’re in a nutty mood or not. You can also choose any oil you want to cook in, coconut would change the flavour a bit but it would work with the other ingredients so if it’s your preference go right ahead. I used ghee, but have also used olive oil before. If you use butter do half butter, half oil so it doesn’t brown too quickly.

And if you’re one of those poor people that hate coriander (shout out to my sister), maybe try mint or parsley?

Rice that’s been cooked a day  beforehand tends to work best in this recipe but I have cooked it just before, if you do this then spread the cooked rice on a tray and place in your fridge to dry out until completely cold. Or as long as you can (freezer works too if you’re feeling impatient). Leaving the rice and not being tempted to touch it too much is important so pay attention to the recipe.

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 Tbs oil or ghee

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 cup coriander

1.5 tsp finely diced green chilli

1/4 cup finely sliced spring onion

2 tsp lime juice

1 cup shredded kale

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped into 2 cm chunks

1 egg

1/4 avocado finely sliced

2 Tsp roasted unsalted peanuts

1 lime wedge

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Set aside 1 tablespoon of the coriander leaves and finely chop what remains. Set aside 1 tsp of the spring onion and 1/2 tsp of this chilli, place what remains of both with the finely chopped coriander.

Place a large heavy based frypan on medium high heat and add the oil. Once hot add the brown rice, spread it out in a thin layer over the base of the fry pan. Leave and don’t touch it for 2-3 minutes. At this point move it round the pan then spread it back out into a thin layer. Allow to cook for another 2-3minutes. Repeat this process two more times. After the 4th time you have let sit and crisp up some grains should be ‘dancing’ in the pan and making popping sounds.

Now add, the finely chopped coriander, spring onions and chilli. Mix through and let cook for 1 minute. Add 1 tsp of the lime juice and a generous pinch of salt and move around the pan for 30 second-1 minute. Remove from the pan but leave the pan on the heat.

Add the kale to the pan and move it around for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan (don’t turn the heat off just yet) and mix well with the olive oil and remaining lime juice. You can massage it in if you’re into that kind of thing. Season. Set aside.

Crack the egg into your pan and lower the heat slightly. You shouldn’t need any more oil as there should be some residual stuff in the pan. Fry the egg until it is as cooked as you like it, 3-5 minutes.

Now to serve: Mix the cucumber through the rice and place in the bottom of a bowl. Top with marinated kale, the egg, avocado, reserved chilli, coriander and spring onion and the peanuts. Season with a crack of black pepper. Serve with the wedge of lime on the side and squeeze over just before eating.

HH. x