Poached Eggs Over Rice Recipe
An unassuming yet satisfying little rice bowl recipe - simply a reasonable serving of chard-flecked whole grain rice topped with a poached egg.
Wayne and I traveled to Las Vegas for a couple days last week to attend his cousin's wedding. The trip was a decadent bookend to a champagne and sugar-dusted holiday season for me. So, here we are in the new year and I'm happy to be getting back to basics (and possibly even the treadmill). Today I'm going to share an unassuming little rice bowl recipe, something I throw together often for lunch. It's simply a reasonable serving of chard-flecked whole grain rice topped with a poached egg. Again, like we talked about last week it is one of those meals that fills you up without making you feel overly full, and I always feel great about an hour after I eat this.
For the rice bowl you see up above, I used a black Japonica rice. Other times I'l make it with Massa Organic's fantastic California-grown whole grain brown rice. I like the whole grain rices because they have their nutrients intact, unlike white rices. Whole grain rices tend to be more rustic, hearty, satisfying, and in my opinion more interesting to the eye than their refined counterparts.
I do similar bowls with wild rice (technically a grass), Bhutanese red rice, and the uber-petite and aromatic Kalijira brown rice. Each rice has its own shape, texture, flavor and personality, and it's fun to explore all the different varietals. For those of you who are particularly pinched for time, the pre-cooked organic brown rice sold in the freezer section at Whole Foods Markets allows you to throw this together in a flash.
I thought about finishing the rice bowl with a few drops of toasted sesame oil and a quick drizzle of shoyu, but decided it really didn't need it. Maybe next time.
Thanks for all your feedback last week on the lentil soup recipe. I'm so pleased that such a large number of you were interested and gave it a shot, and in large part liked it as much as I did. I've held off on sharing some of my more "everyday" type meals (and recipes), in part because there is often not much to them, and because sometimes they are a bit......er, random. I'll make an effort to put down the fork, pick up the camera, and share more on that front in particular. But expect a few misses along with the hits ;)...
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Poached Eggs Over Rice
You can use any type of wholegrain rice you like - just think non-white. There are many wonderful whole grain rice varietals out there to try - brown rice, red rice, wild rice - I used a black Japonica rice in the version pictured here. If I were sharing this with a friend or guests I might make the dressing a bit more elaborate (for example using the dressing from Otsu salad in Super Natural Cooking). As far as poaching the eggs is concerned, I've tried varying techniques over the years to achieve nicely poached eggs - recently abandoning the vinegar-water (as well as the whirlpool/ vortex technique) and instead opting for an approach more in line with the one highlighted in Michael Ruhlman's new book - utilizing a strainer to minimize flyaway whites.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 pinches of salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup organic extra-firm tofu (optional), 1/4 inch dice
1 small clove garlic, chopped
2 - 3 cups dark leafy green, deveined and finely chopped
2 - 3 cups pre-cooked whole grain rice (brown is fine)
4 good quality eggs
Fill a wide-mouthed saucepan with 3-4 inches of water and bring to a simmer.
Separately, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, salt, and crusher red pepper flakes. Let the onions soften up a bit - a couple minutes. Stir in the tofu if you are using it - let that heat up and brown a tad. Now stir in the garlic and greens. Cook the greens for a couple minutes, until they collapse and soften up. Stir in the pre-cooked rice and saute until hot. Remove from heat, and set aside. Taste for seasoning as well.
Now back to the simmering water. You are going to use this to poach the eggs one at a time. Gently crack egg into a ramekin, carefully slip it into a mesh strainer over your sink - some of the whites will run through and strain off (if the mesh is too fine, you won't get the desired effect). This minimizes the fly-away whites you normally get. Now, carefully slide the egg back into the ramekin. Lower the ramekin down into the simmering water and let the egg slip out. Let it simmer there for a few minutes, past the point when the whites have become opaque. If you like a loose yolk, cook for less time. Remove the egg with a strainer or slotted spoon and either serve it atop some rice or set aside while you repeat the process with the remaining eggs.
Divide the rice between four bowls and serve each topped with one of the poached eggs.
Makes four servings.
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Comments
there are few things that can't be improved by a poached egg on top.. looks absolutely wonderful
I'm not sure I can poach an egg, outside of my grandma's kitchen, that is, but I love everything I've tried from your site and, well, I try everything you post.
Eggs are certainly handy for a quick and satisfying meal. I've been experimenting with baked eggs recently. A good way of making breakfast/brunch for several people without panic.
This looks amazing! There is nothing in this world quite like a really fresh poached egg... I just discovered black Japonica as well, so I will have to try this. Thank you!
Heidi, please DO give us your "random" everyday meals. . . . that's what I come here for (especially your whole grain recipes, which I love). Sometimes their very simplicity makes me forget to turn to this type of meal, yet this is precisely the food I want to be eating most of the time. Your recipes, so beautifully photographed, are perfect reminders to eat healthfully on a daily basis. Thanks!
I adapted the Alton Brown recipe and bake mine (covered, of course) in my toaster oven. Much more efficient and eco-friendly than heating up the whole "big oven."
This looks so good! Poached eggs and the delicious sauce they create are a favorite of mine lately, but I tend to think of the as just breakfast food. So thanks for this meal idea; it's a much healthier alternate to the Spanish-style fried eggs I tend to turn to for lunch and dinner options.
I adapted the Alton Brown recipe and bake mine (covered, of course) in my toaster oven. Much more efficient and eco-friendly than heating up the whole "big oven."
I agree... this is the way I usually cook at home, when I'm pressed for time with 2 kids hounding me for dinner and a paper to write. The simple recipes are usually the ones that turn into comfort food, that we can make off hand with what's in the fridge or pantry. I'd love to see more of these!
I have never posted before, but I felt compelled to today. I can say with complete honesty that these delightful whole grain meal-in-a-bowls are the reason your site draws me in over and over. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to your quinoa or rice salads. I try to make them these types of meals the bulk of my eating plan for the week, and your site is invaluable to me (as are the comments, which add even more variety!) Please keep them coming! To Pavitra: I am very fond of Alton Brown's Baked Brown Rice recipe. Comes out perfect for me every time.
This was my favorite breakfast as a kid. My Mom is Japanese. She would use leftover miso soup or veggies from a stir-fry the night before and combine them with cooked rice that had been simmered in broth to soften it. Toward the end of the simmering, she'd crack an egg into the rice and bury it, and then top with a bit of soy sauce or furikake. I would search for the egg like a little treasure in my rice bowl. When I found it, I'd break it and the runny yolk would flavor the whole bowl. Mmmm. She called it "Yarakai Gohan", which literally translates to "soft rice".
This sounds delicious! Everything I've tried from this site (and your cookbook), I've enjoyed immensely. Just yesterday I was thinking of making something similar, minus the tofu, plus a light sorrel sauce on top (I love the combination of poached eggs and sorrel) To Pavitra: Ever since reading one of Molly Katzen's cookbooks (The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, I think?) I've been making brown rice her way: use 3 parts water and 2 parts rice. Bring water to a boil, add rice, cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes (Do NOT disturb), remove from heat, let sit for 10 minutes. It makes perfectly fluffy brown rice every time (in only 40 minutes)!
Beautiful photo, Heidi! Thanks for this everyday quick recipe. It's great that I can get all the nutrients I need in a big bowl, besides, there are less dishes to wash, hehe... To Pavitra: I cook my brown rice like this: Soak 1 cup brown rice for a couple hours. Rinse the rice in a colander, and add it to a large pot with 4 cups water. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. If you prefer, you can use vegetable stock instead of water. Good luck!
I agree! This looks yummy and just we need after the past few weeks. Please miss, may we have more?
To me, those random, daily recipes are the best finds. After all, that's how most of us cook the majority of the time.
Heidi- Wow. This is the type of food I dearly love.......wonderful ingredients.....but not many ingredients........and ease in completion of the recipe in a few minutes. I am a devotee, my dear.
This looks great! I really like the use of a whole-grain rice with chard, bean curd, and egg. In college, I ate a very unhealthy version - white rice with some soy sauce, sesame oil, a sprinkling of ground red pepper, and a fried egg on top (over easy) along with some dried seaweed and other side dishes.
Heidi, what is the best way to cook brown rice?
Wow, I came onto your site to find the lentil soup recipe that I've already made once and was going to make again for lunch today. Lo and behold I found another great lunch recipe that I'm making instead! Thank you, Heidi, I can't wait to try this.
One of my favorite breakfasts when I lived in Japan was hot brown rice with a fresh raw egg cracked into it and mixed into it. The hot rice "cooked" the egg enough to make it good, but not enough to solidify it. Add a little shoyu and crumbled nori, and wow, it was delicious. Had it almost every day. Yesterday my mom made fried rice with egg and chard which was also great. So, think you are on to something with this combination Heidi. :-)
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