Stir-fried lettuce bowl with ginger fried rice and fried egg

Ginger fried rice is my comfort food in every sense – my mum made this for me whenever I was feeling unwell; the dish is particularly good for settling a restless tummy and is also a proficient hangover cure.

Ginger fried rice. Credit: Hetty McKinnon

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 iceberg lettuce (about 750 g)
• 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1⁄4 tsp sugar
• extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
• 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 4–6 eggs
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (white, black or both), toasted
• sea salt and white pepper

Ginger fried rice

• extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
• 5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 925 g (5 cups) cooked cold brown rice
• sea salt and white pepper

Instructions

1. To remove the core of the lettuce, take a sharp paring knife, run it around the core and then gently pull it out. Remove the outer layer of the lettuce and discard. Now tear the lettuce into large chunks. Wash the leaves and allow them to dry in a colander.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari or soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar and a pinch of sea salt and white pepper.

3. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium–low heat, add a drizzle of oil along with the ginger and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium, add the lettuce and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until the lettuce is wilted. Pour the sauce over the lettuce and stir-fry for a further 60 seconds. Take care not to overcook, as you want the lettuce to retain some crunch. Remove from the pan and set aside. Once the pan is cool enough to handle, rinse it out and dry.

3. For the ginger fried rice, reheat the pan on high heat and add a good drizzle of oil. Toss in the ginger and cook for 30 seconds, then add the cold rice and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, until the rice is heated through. Season with sea salt and a small pinch of white pepper, then remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Wipe the pan clean once again and place over a medium–high heat. Add another drizzle of oil and add one egg to the pan (cook one egg at a time). Season the egg with a touch of salt and immediately cover with a lid. Cook until the white is just set and the yolk is to your liking.

Repeat with all the eggs.

To serve, scoop the ginger fried rice into individual serving bowls and top each with the stir-fried lettuce and a fried egg. Scatter with the shallot and sesame seeds and season with a little sea salt and white pepper.

This recipe was provided by Hetty McKinnon for Meat Free Week 2019. The campaign runs from 23-29 September in support of Bowel Cancer Australia. See meatfreeweek.org to sign up.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.