As a professional chef who gets paid to make good food for a living, what I usually eat at home is always to the highest standards of excellence. Everything that enters my kitchen is organic and everything that leaves my kitchen is gourmet. Okay, now that I have you hooked, I feel compelled to reveal… I’m lying.
Listen, cooking is hard. I love doing it for work, but when I am alone in my kitchen, I am often looking for shortcuts left and right, especially around breakfast time. I want to share my favorite breakfast hack involving leftovers that often find their way into my freezer.
Sidebar to this blog, I’d like to reclaim the term ‘Morning Person.’ Can I call myself this under the traditional meaning of the phrase where I love to get up early, run a quick 5K and then cook the kids an elaborate breakfast before sending them off to school? No, I cannot (also I do not have kids). But I genuinely enjoy mornings. Often times, my workday doesn’t start until the afternoon so mornings are the time that I crack open a book, catch up on a TV show or take a long leisurely stroll to the good grocery store to avoid my dreadful chain grocery store that rhymes with schmewl schmosco. With all these ways I spend my morning time, I like to streamline my most important meal of the day.
I always want to seek out some sort of protein source in my breakfast. I am no scientist, but in my experience of having a human body for the past 29 years, protein makes me feel full and powered up to take on the day. One great option that I employ quite often is oatmeal. My pal Jessica at The Chopping Block has a fab recipe for baked oatmeal that is a real “set and and forget it” affair. Oats are a great whole grain packed with fiber and protein.
Obviously the other protein favorite in the morning is the wonderful egg. Here is my favorite little hack for a deliciously savory and stunningly simple breakfast: leftover sushi rice. We run our sushi class quite often at The Chopping Block and it is truly one of my favorite classes to observe and to teach. Not to mention, the amount of sushi you get at the end of this class is well worth the price tag. If you have taken our hands-on Sushi Workshop, you know we make quite a bit of rice as it is a necessary fixture in the dish. But what do we do if we end up with some extra rice? Better question - what should you do with your extra rice when you are recreating your sushi creations at home? I have the answer for you - egg and rice bowl.
Egg and Leftover Rice Bowl
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup of frozen leftover sushi rice or jasmine rice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Sriracha to taste
1. When I have leftover rice, I like to freeze it in 1 cup portions for ease of use. This makes sure my rice remains fresh for a few weeks to use as I please. Take the frozen rice and gently reheat in microwave in 1 minute intervals. I add an ice cube to the rice to help re-steam it.
2. Meanwhile heat a nonstick skillet and add 1 tablespoon butter, let melt.
3. Add eggs to skillet and cook sunny side up until the edges of your eggs are a little browned and crispy. I like to take some of the melted butter and baste it over top of the egg to finish off cooking the white while still having a runny yolk.
4. Once the rice is heated and eggs are done, add eggs to rice and top with soy sauce and sriracha to your taste. If you have some scallions, sesame seeds, nori sheets, or kimchi around, these would also be welcome additions to your bowl.
Now go on and enjoy your mornings and your new favorite breakfast bowl. Our next Sushi Workshop is Saturday, November 8 at 6pm, and there are only a few spots left. Sign up today!
Egg and Leftover Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup of frozen leftover sushi rice or jasmine rice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- Sriracha to taste
Instructions
- Reheat the frozen rice in the microwave in 1 minute intervals. Add an ice cube to the rice to help re-steam it.
- Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet and add 1 tablespoon butter, let melt.
- Add eggs to skillet and cook sunny side up until the edges of your eggs are a little browned and crispy. Take some of the melted butter and baste it over top of the egg to finish off cooking the white while still having a runny yolk.
- Once the rice is heated and eggs are done, add eggs to rice and top with soy sauce and sriracha to your taste. If you have some scallions, sesame seeds, nori sheets, or kimchi around, these would also be welcome additions to your bowl.