A delightful culinary experience awaits with this rice dish, where warm, buttery rice meets a cool cucumber sauce, tangy pickles, and perfectly cooked eggs with soft centers. The interplay of hot and cold elements delivers a refreshing yet comforting meal ideal for a quick summer lunch or a cozy weeknight dinner.
To create this dish, you’ll need to prepare several components. Start with the rice and eggs by gathering 200g of Japanese short-grain rice, 40g of soft salted butter, and two medium eggs. You’ll also need three finely sliced spring onions, along with salt and black pepper for seasoning. For the pickled cucumbers, slice 200g of baby cucumbers and prepare a mixture with one teaspoon of flaky sea salt, three tablespoons of caster sugar, 75ml of white-wine vinegar, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Finish this with a small handful of fresh chopped dill and half a teaspoon of dried mint. Lastly, for the cucumber sauce, use one large peeled and deseeded cucumber, 100g of crème fraîche, a generous pinch of flaky salt, one garlic clove, and an ice cube to keep it chilled.
Begin the preparation by placing the sliced cucumbers in a heatproof bowl, covering them with salt, and tossing them well. In another heatproof bowl, mix freshly boiled water, sugar, and white-wine vinegar, then pour this over the cucumbers to let them pickle while you continue with the rest of the steps. For the rice, rinse it under cold water several times until clear, then drain well. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or saucepan with 250ml of cold water and a pinch of salt, bringing it to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for eight minutes. Allow it to rest off the heat for another 10 minutes, covered.
For the cucumber sauce, blend the cucumber with crème fraîche, salt, and garlic until smooth, then refrigerate it with an ice cube to maintain its chill. Simultaneously, boil water in a saucepan to cook the eggs for seven minutes. Once done, rinse them under cold water and peel them carefully. Drain the pickled cucumbers, mix them with olive oil, dill, and dried mint for added flavor.
To serve, divide the warm rice into two bowls, allowing pieces of soft butter to melt over it. Surround the rice with the chilled cucumber sauce and arrange the pickled cucumbers. Halve the peeled eggs and place them on top, finishing with sliced spring onions and a generous seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately to enjoy the contrast between the warm rice and eggs against the chilled sauce and crisp pickles, offering a light yet flavorful meal without the need for complex cooking techniques.