Garlic-Chili Pork Rice Bowl recipe on Page C-2.
PG tested
My husband planted garlic for the first time last fall, and lo and behold, he actually harvested a fairly nice crop earlier this month. Or, as he proudly puts it, “The McKay house will officially be vampire-free this year.”
One of the first dishes I made with the deep-purple cloves was this spicy, garlicky rice bowl. It’s ridiculously easy to pull together, and it’s a terrific platform for a colorful mix of fresh vegetables. The crowning glory is jammy-yolked six-minute eggs, which adds a velvety texture.
I used ground pork, but you could easily cubed pork loin, for a chunkier dish, or ground chicken. For pork 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 shallot, chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 dried chili (such as chili de árbol) 1 pound ground pork 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce Pinch of sugar 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
Kosher salt For rice bowl 2 large carrot 2 large cucumbers 4 eggs 2 cups rice prepared Juice of 1 whole lime
½ cup cilantro roughly chopped 2 cups spinach Sesame seeds for garnish 2 tablespoons chopped scallions for garnish
Prepare pork: Heat oil in a medium skillet over mediumhigh. Cook shallot, garlic and chili, stirring often until shallot is softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture in skillet is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add broth, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated, 12-18 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and mix vinegar into pork mixture; taste and season with salt if needed. Set aside while you prepare bowl.
For bowl: Begin boiling a small pot of water for eggs.
Peel carrot and cut into ribbons. Thinly slice cucumber.
Add eggs to boiling water. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and run under cold water to stop cooking. Peel.
Heat rice in the microwave for 90 seconds. Add lime juice and cilantro. Mix well.
To assemble bowls, add ½ cup rice to the bottom of a serving bowl. Add ½ cup spinach, carrots and cucumbers. Top with a quarterof the pork mixture and one whole egg, sliced in half. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
Serves 4. — Adapted from Bon Appetit