Japanese Oriental Bowl with Century Eggs
Need something healthy and fast? Thinking of a salad, but there is that element of comfort food missing? Here’s a little something that will make your weekend lunches a little spicy and cool than your colleagues. That’s the aim of the game after all, right?
If you’re anything like me, I look forward to lunch and dinner so if they are lacking or simply boring, then what gives me that drive to push through the day? I can assure you that this recipe doesn’t take on the form of a salad but it will take your everyday average lunch to new levels. To add an extra bonus, it will also make lunch times actually enjoyable, giving you a little motivation through the day, as well as giving your peers or colleagues meal envy.
To make any meal not only delicious but very healthy too, there is a new man/women in town… Freak of Nature. Their philosophy is simple - they aim to supply busy human bees with healthy bio and vegan product that requires no more than boiling the kettle and pouring. They use only real ingredients as the basis to all their products which is laid out pure and simple on the back of every product. Vegan and bio certified, they take the time out of cooking, giving you back the enjoyment in cooking and your evenings with family/friends. The best part is they are so delicious they will beat any take away restaurant lunch and most certainly many of those minimalistic salads out there.
Take a look at their website for more information and their full product list. Here is also a great burger recipe - Vegan Thai Curry Burgers with a spiced cucumber relish - that will give MacDonalds a run for their money on a hungover day and many artisan burger joints on all other days. Today we are using their Oriental Bowl mix which is a base of quinoa, sun dried tomatoes and sweet apricots. Their base recipe adds slices of zucchini at the end but here, we explore a different option. A different cuisine, a different world and a different sensual experience.
Welcome to Japan. It’s almost as corona doesn’t exist when you get in the kitchen and can create a whole other ambiance through the senses. You maybe familiar with the century egg from other cuisines that pickle eggs in a vinegar based solution, mainly from the German cuisine. In this recipe we take the Japanese style century egg that is normally left in a concoction of Japanese sauces for days, sometimes weeks and shorten it. This means we add a little red wine vinegar along with the asian based liquids to speed up the pickling and flavour infusion into the white of the egg. This method is fun and an easy way to add a little something special to an everyday global ingredient.
You can of course just use normal boiled eggs if you want an even quicker lunch or dinner option and for all my veganersss out there… just leave this out. If you are vegan and what a little extra protein or component to fill you up, you can try out the Japanese century style egg using tofu. You will need to buy soft tofu that is in it’s most natural form - ie. not smoked, boiled or marinated prior.
When we look at how the oriental bowl is commonly built and enjoyed, it normally uses fresh herbs, raw vegetables like tomatoes and roasted nuts like pistachios or walnuts. This gives a great summer vibes salad vibes but certainly doesn’t make you stand out from the rest of the oriental bowl crowd. With this Japanese version, you will be amazed at the flavour combinations between the slightly nutty but mild flavours in the quinoa to the more salty flavours in the eggplant and then finally to the slightly acidic but strikingly unique flavours in the eggs.
This is a great year round dish and supplies you with a meal that is high in fibre, protein, a source of your daily grains, low in cholesterol, contains vitamins and minerals such as;
vitamin C
vitamin K
vitamin B6
thiamine
niacin
magnesium
manganese
phosphorus
copper
fiber
folic acid
potassium
iron
Now, I think it’s safe to say that Freak of Nature is more than just an easy way out of cooking. Their food offers their customers healthy, environmentally positive and delicious meals that really is the bases to a world of unique recipes you can share with family and friends or as the best lunch alternative to get all your colleagues square eyed.
Enjoy
xx
Japanese Oriental Bowl
Ingredients
For the Japanese Eggplant (makes for more than what’s needed for the Oriental bowls)
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
4 garlic cloves, grated
2 birds eye chilli
1 centimetre cube ginger, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, white and greens chopped
3 large Japanese eggplants, sliced into rounds
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white caster sugar or palm sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp cornstarch
For the Century Eggs (Ajisuke Tamago)
2 organic bio eggs (I did 4 for extras)
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 red wine vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sriracha
For the bowl
1 Oriental Bowl packet from Freak of Nature
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter
1 cup Japanese Eggplant
2 Ajisuke Tamago
1 tbsp whole dried oregano (best home grown then dried)
Two serve; fired onions, spring onions, Japanese mayonnaise
Method
To make the Century Eggs: Begin by placing the eggs in a small pot and filling with water so the eggs are just covered. Place on medium heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 6 minutes so the eggs are cooked through but the yolk doesn’t become over done. Drain the hot water and fill with cold water immediately. Leave to sit in the cold water for at minimum of 5 minutes, better 10 minutes, before peeling.
Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and place the eggs in the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours but better 6-12hours.
To make the Japanese Eggplant; In a medium pan, cook the garlic, chilli and ginger in the oil for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the eggplant and cook for a further 5 minutes or until they begin to sweat. Add the remaining ingredients, except for half of the spring onions, along with 1/2 cup of water. Cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat or until the eggplants have softened and the sauce is thick.
To assemble the Freak of Nature Oriental Bowl: Cook the oriental bowl in the canola oil on medium heat. Reduce the heat and add 1 1/2 cups stock. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a fork, fluff the quinoa and add the butter. In two plate/bowls or edged plates, split the quinoa. Top with two spoons of the Japanese eggplant and one halved Century egg. Sprinkle with your desired toppings.
