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Bol renversé
Upside-down rice bowl
Bol renversé: the Sino-Mauritian 'magic bowl' of rice, chicken and prawn stir-fry and a fried egg, turned out upside down
Order a bol renversé in a Port Louis canteen or a Grand Baie food court and it arrives as a neat dome of rice with a fried egg perched on top; break into it and a glossy stir-fry of chicken, prawns, mushrooms and Chinese leaves spills out. The trick is building it backwards in a bowl, egg first, then the stir-fry, then rice packed down, before flipping it onto a plate. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the vegetables but loose enough to soak into the rice. People often make the sauce too thin and the dome slides apart in a flood, so simmer it until it glazes the back of a spoon. Chef's tip: fry the eggs only until the whites are set and the edges are crisp, and lay them yolk-side down in the bowl so the yolk faces up and stays runny when you turn it out.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken and prawns
- 10 ½ oz boneless chicken thighsskinned, thinly sliced
- 7 oz raw king prawnspeeled and deveined
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornflour
For the stir-fry
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionsliced
- 3 cloves garlicchopped
- ½ oz fresh gingerchopped
- 1 carrotthinly sliced on the diagonal
- 5 ½ oz button mushroomssliced
- 7 oz Chinese leaves or pak choicut into 3 cm pieces
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
To build
- 1 ¾ lb cooked jasmine ricehot, from about 320 g raw
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp sunflower oilfor frying the eggs
- 2 spring onions (optional)sliced
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Toss 10 ½ oz boneless chicken thighs and 7 oz raw king prawns with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 2 tsp cornflour in a bowl. Cover and leave in the fridge while you prepare the vegetables.
15 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry 4 eggs one or two at a time until the whites are set and the edges crisp, with runny yolks. Set each one yolk-side down in the bottom of a deep bowl, one egg per bowl.
6 minStep 3: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a wok over a high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it is white all over, then add the prawns.
3 minStep 4: Keep stir-frying until the prawns are pink and opaque all the way through and the chicken has no pink left, reaching 165°F in the thickest piece. Lift both out onto a plate.
3 minStep 5: Add 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic and ½ oz fresh ginger to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add 1 carrot and 5 ½ oz button mushrooms and stir-fry until the mushrooms soften.
3 minStep 6: Add 7 oz Chinese leaves or pak choi and toss until the leaves wilt but the stems still crunch.
2 minStep 7: Pour in 1 cup chicken stock, 2 tbsp oyster sauce and 1 tbsp light soy sauce and bring to the boil. Stir the cornflour mix again and stir in 1 tbsp cornflour. Bubble until the sauce is thick and glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
2 minStep 8: Return the chicken and prawns with any juices, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and toss until hot.
Step 9: Spoon the stir-fry and sauce over the eggs in the bowls, then top with 1 ¾ lb cooked jasmine rice, pressing it down firmly with the back of a spoon so it fills the bowl to the rim.
Step 10: Put a plate upside down on each bowl, hold both firmly and flip over in one go. Lift off the bowl and scatter 2 spring onions over. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bol renversé take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of boneless chicken thighs?
- Chicken breast, same weight (cook a few minutes less so it stays juicy).
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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