Brown rice bowl with roasted vegetables and a fried egg

The Story

None of us are strangers to grain bowls. Popularized by casual dining chains in the U.S. like Cava or even Chipotle, they’re a great way to ensure your meals are ticking all of the nutritional necessity boxes. I have a bunch in my repertoire, but there’s something magical about one that leans on using leftovers and pantry items you already have.

This is by far my favorite go-to dinner when I’m tired and want something comforting, but not too elaborate to put together. When you already have cooked rice and roasted vegetables in the refrigerator, this dish comes together in under 10 minutes.

With brown rice and roasted vegetables making up the bulk of the meal, it’s really healthy, but when you break that runny yolk and mix it all together it feels like a cheat meal. This dish is the perfect place for a lacy-edged fried Spanish-style egg to add some additional texture that I learned how to make during my time at culinary school. If you’re vegan, feel free to substitute the fried egg with some fried firm tofu, or skip it altogether. To make the brown rice for this recipe (and for almost all my recipes frankly), I like to use the pasta method, boiling the grains in abundant water. I find it’s less fussy than the absorption method since I don’t have to measure anything or worry about the grains being dry or mushy. For perfect rice, every time, wash the rice, toast it, boil it, and drain it…simple!

Difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1-5

Active time to prepare: 5-10 minutes (if you already have rice and vegetables on hand), 20 minutes (if you have to make rice and veg)

Total time to prepare: 10-50 minutes (depending on if you already have ingredients prepped or if you need to make roasted vegetables and rice from scratch)

Serves: 4

The Ingredients

For the brown rice:

1.5 cups/300 g brown rice

2 Tbsp./27 g olive oil

5 cups/1.2 L water

For the fried egg:

1/4 cup/54 g olive oil

4 - 8 eggs

For the assembly:

2 cups/450 g roasted vegetables (1/2 cup/112.5 g per person)

Optional:

Tender fresh herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, etc,)

8 Tbsp./120 g (2 Tbsp./30 g per plate) chili crisp with solids

*NOTE: I like this one from Lao Gan Ma

The Recipe

For the brown rice:

1. Pour your rice into a colander and run cold water through the rice, swishing it around gently, until the water runs clear.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add the rice and the salt and sauté, stirring occasionally until the grains of rice are slightly browned (approximately 5-6 minutes).

   *NOTE: I use the same pot as the one I use to boil pasta…it should have a big enough bottom to have sufficient surface area to sauté the rice, and be tall enough to fit the rice and the water.

3. Add the water, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

4. Cook until the grains of rice are tender (25-30 minutes). Strain through a colander.

For the fried egg:

1. Heat a small sauté pan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the olive oil and continue to heat until the oil begins to smoke.

2. Crack 1-2 egg(s) into a bowl and add to the oil.

   *NOTE: Be careful, this will most likely splatter!

3. Season the egg with salt and pepper.

4. Cook until the edges are golden brown and the egg white is set. Set aside.

   *NOTE: If the edges start browning too quickly before the rest of the egg white finishes setting, tilt the pan away from you, and with a small spoon, scoop up a spoonful of oil and drop it onto the uncooked portion of the egg white.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for all of the eggs.

   *NOTE: There should be enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan when you slightly agitate it. Don’t be afraid to add more oil if you are running out. Just ensure to heat it until smoking again before adding any more eggs.

For the assembly:

1. Spoon rice into the bottom of a microwave-proof bowl.

   NOTE: This doesn’t have to go into the microwave. If you won’t be using a microwave you will have to heat the vegetables separately in the oven or a sauté pan.

2. Spoon 1/4 of the vegetables evenly on top of the rice (I’m using some leftover roasted peppers and some easy roasted eggplant with tahini drizzle I had in the refrigerator.

3. Heat in the microwave.

4. Top with fried egg(s).

5. Adorn with chili crisp and fresh herbs.

DO AHEAD: Make your brown rice and vegetables in advance, and this dinner comes together in no time.