Upside Down Bowl. Mauricius

I’ve been told – by Pinterest – that an upside down bowl like this one would be what I’d get if I were to have a meal on the beautiful island of Mauricius. Located in the Indian Ocean, the island mixes influences from many of its immigrant communities as well as from neighbor countries. What you’d find in dishes in Mauricius would taste like Chinese, African, Indian, French and Creole.

I have never been to Mauricius, though it is one of the top destinations for French people during winter, as Mauricius is located in the other hemisphere and offers warmth and exotism throughout the year. I may very well go someday, as I am always sort of craving for anything colorful and joyful, and if the food has a little spice in it, then I’m all in!

I have recently been introduced to a new friend of a friend’s who says that he only can cook with what’s left in the fridge. And that it’s good. Well, that sounds pretty damn great to me! Especially since my husband seemed really happy and content after he tasted my Maurician Upside Down Bowl ; indeed, he also said about this dish that it was delicious even though it looked and tasted like a “throw in a bowl everything that’s left in the pantry and the fridge”.

Okay, it’s true that it kind of was that, but I only quietly agreed to this remark because I didn’t just “threw” everything in the bowl – I mean, I goddamn cooked the whole thing up! I cooked the chicken and the sausage, I cut and cooked the veggies, prepared the rice; I tasted, adjusted the spices and the sauce, fried the eggs, set them all in a tower-like shape, and flipped the bowls upside down! You’ll find out in the next lines that it is a fairly easy recipe to reproduce at home. It doesn’t require a large quantity of anything but just a bit of many things, as long as it all comes together in the most flavorsome manner. Bon appétit!

 

INGREDIENTS (2 pax)

• Rice for two
• A small handful of shiitake and Chinese black mushrooms
• Pulled chicken leftovers
• A Chinese sausage or a spicy beef sausage (like merguez for instance)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small carrot
• 4-6 small brocoli florets with the stems
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of clear soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preferably on the day before if you can, cook the rice in the rice cooker. Let it dry and stick till the next day.
2. Also cook the chicken if you don’t have any leftovers yet.
3. On D day, rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a bowl of steaming water.
4. In the meantime, cut the veggies in brunoise (small cubes), except for the brocoli and the mushrooms which flavors will be better if sliced.
5. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and break two eggs (sunny side up). Roughly fry the first side and carefully flip it over to cook the other side very briefly. Transfer each egg to a bowl.
6. In the same pan, cook the brocoli and carrot cubes. Add a bit of water and cover with a lid to steam them a little.
7. Take the lid out and add the bell pepper and mushrooms to the pan. Keep cooking uncovered.
8. Add the sausage and cook it while combining to the veggies so that they take in the sausage flavors.
9. Finally add the pulled chicken to the mix, and combine.
10. Pour 2 tbsp of soy sauce and two tbsp of oyster sauce.
11. Transfer the meat and veggie mix to each bowl.
12. In the same pan, put the rice and start heating it up. Add a bit of dark soy sauce to give the rice some color.
13. When ready, transfer the rice into each bowl, and pack it densely with the help of a spoon.
14. Put a plate on top of the bowl, and without letting the plate slip off of the bowl (or your hand!), flip the bowl and plate upside down. The food should unmold itself.
15. Carefully remove the bowl, and serve immediately.

Created and Written by Sophie Rebibo-Halimi. © 2019 All Rights Reserved.