Returning from the Nederburg Auction last Friday evening, gargantuanlly hungry – even sipping and spitting the spectacular wines on offer at the 2016 Tim Atkins South Africa Report (which followed Day One of the Auction) one ingests a great deal of alcohol – I was in dire need of a filling yet not overly heavy meal.
Ever mindful of my needs when I am working – and yes, covering the Nederburg Auction is work, believe it or not – dear sweet Elspeth sprang into action and produced this delightful dish.
Well, she actually started the preparation process while I was en route home, so when my lift dropped me at home, she was in the short final approach to a completed meal.
A couple of photographs later, and I settled down to a fulfilling, tasty and remarkably easy-to-make meal, a lovely combination of carbohydrate, fresh crunchy vegetables and protein in the form of eggs.
The joy of this recipe, is that you can mix and match the veg as you choose, or according to whatever is in the fridge at the time.
Elspeth said she was spoiled for choice, with the contents of the crisper drawer yelling “Pick me! Pick me!” as she contemplated the possibilities.
What follows is a mix dictated by what she had on hand, with due consideration for texture, flavour combination and colour variety.
Although no chilli was included this time, it is always an option if you like a bit of spice in your life.
If you have cooked rice in the freezer, then this recipe is a fine way of using it up, and it makes the prep and cooking time that much shorter, but if not, factor in the extra 30 odd minutes you’ll need to cook the rice.
In slicing and chopping of the veg, go for delicate uniformity of size and shape.
Ingredients, selection and preparation
1 medium onion: peeled and chopped
1 handful of spinach stems: sliced
1 each small yellow and red pepper: chopped
1 baby fennel bulb: chopped
3 spring onions: sliced
1/2 cup shelled broad beans
1 clove garlic: crushed
2 tbsp coconut oil
4 eggs
2 cups rice: cooked
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Soya sauce
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
Heat two tbsp of coconut oil in a large frying pan and add the onion. Sweat it until soft and translucent, but don’t let it brown.
Add the finely chopped and sliced veg and the crushed garlic, and stir to mix well, to heat through and to soften slightly.
Add the cooked rice and stir well to mix and heat through.
Crack the four eggs into a jug, add the sesame oil and beat well to mix.
Pour over the rice and veg mix, and turn down the heat, stirring until the egg is mixed through and cooked. Divide between two bowls, garnish with finely sliced spring onion tops, and season to taste with a dash of soya sauce.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: two portions
