Remember quarantine?
Banana Bread. Zoom calls. Sweatpants.
Three spectres of the pandemic that harrowed us, as much as they hugged us.
But I have to add a particular bowl of rice to this list. A bowl of rice that felt like a work colleague, meeting me in the canteen for lunch every day. For as much as it fed me, the mindful process of precise, but not prescriptive, slicing of the vegetables and stir-frying provided my psyche with the break it needed from the indistinct rhythm of the day.
Cooking for others is an act of generosity, so I strongly feel it’s equally as important to cook for yourself and this little bowl not only nourished me, but it’s method kept me company. So much so, that I make it to this day.
Actually, I’ll be 100% honest here – I eat this for lunch roughly 3 out of 5 days a week. I am not even kidding.
The ingredient list and quantities are nothing more than suggestions. This recipe often takes on numerous guises through the week, depending on what my fridge has to offer, as I hope yours will too.
I’ve added thinly cut sprouts, a grated cauliflower, a grated sweet potato, I’ve even thrown in a handful of frozen peas. A fried egg on top would also be heavenly.
EGG TIP – when frying an egg, I suggest cooking it for 3 minutes but add a tablespoon of water to the pan for the last minute, and putting a lid on immediately. The cold water on the hot pan creates steam which gently cooks the top of the egg so you can soft set the yolk.
But anyway, you’ll find that this recipe has the flavour profile of a Bibimbap, a Korean dish of mixed rice and vegetables but is served more like a Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian bowl of fried rice. There’s a difference. But here, it sits somewhere in between; inspired by both but being neither, and I wish no disrespect on either dish.
It’s the preparation that matters most to me. Allocating some time to the chopping, slicing and shredding of vegetables that offers peaceful repetition, a calming antidote to a stressful day.
Serves 2 but 1 mostly
100g broccoli
50g mangetout
¼ head of cabbage
1 tbs vegetable oil
100g cooked rice (from a microwavable packet – no judgement – I like brown rice)
1 tbs gochujang paste
1 tsp soy sauce
To serve
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 spring onion
- Prepare the vegetables by chopping as finely as you can but this is the part where I want you to relax the most. Take your time. It’s not a militant process, it doesn’t have to be precise, but immerse yourself in the preparation. I like to cut the broccoli into chunks (even the stalks), finely slice the mangetout thinly lengthways, and shred the cabbage thinly. But to be honest, how you get to a pile of thinly cut up vegetables is up you.
- In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil until very hot and then add the vegetables with a little salt and stir for roughly 5 minutes.
- Add the rice into the pan and if using a microwaveable packet, like I do, use a spoon to break up any clumps. Fry the rice and vegetables for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the gochujang and soy and stir into the rice and vegetables, cooking for another 2 or 3 minutes until the rice is piping hot.
- Serve the rice in bowls. My preference is to eat it scattered with sesame seeds, sesame oil, a little shake of dried chilli flakes and a spring onion snipped over it, but there’s nothing stopping you from also draping it with a fried egg (see intro)
MIKEY AND THE KITCHEN. 