This delightful rice dish features a harmonious blend of warm, buttery rice paired with a cool cucumber sauce, tart pickles, and eggs with soft centers. The interplay of hot and cold components offers a refreshing yet cozy meal, perfect for a quick summer lunch or an easy weeknight dinner.
To create this dish, you’ll need to prepare three main components: the rice and eggs, pickled cucumbers, and cucumber sauce. Start by tackling the pickled cucumbers. Slice 200 grams of baby cucumbers into rounds, sprinkle them with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, and toss well in a heatproof bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 75 milliliters of freshly boiled water with three tablespoons of caster sugar and white-wine vinegar. Pour this mixture over the cucumbers and let them pickle while you move on to the other parts of the recipe.
Next, focus on the rice and eggs. Rinse 200 grams of Japanese short-grain rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain. Cook the rice in a rice cooker, or alternatively, in a saucepan with 250 milliliters of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, reduce to the lowest setting, and cover. Let it cook for about eight minutes, then remove from heat and leave it covered for an additional 10 minutes. For the eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook two medium eggs for seven minutes. Quickly rinse them under cold water and peel them carefully to retain their soft centers.
As the rice and eggs are cooking, prepare the cucumber sauce by blending a peeled and deseeded large cucumber with 100 grams of crème fraîche, a generous pinch of flaky salt, and a garlic clove until smooth. Refrigerate with an ice cube to keep the sauce chilled. Once the cucumbers are pickled, drain them and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, a small handful of chopped fresh dill, and half a teaspoon of dried mint.
To assemble, divide the warm rice into two wide bowls, allowing pieces of 40 grams of soft salted butter to melt over it. Spoon the chilled cucumber sauce around the rice and add the pickled cucumbers. Halve the peeled eggs and place them on top, finishing with finely sliced spring onions. Season the eggs generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately to enjoy the delightful contrast of warm rice and eggs with the chilled sauce and crisp pickles, resulting in a light, flavorful, and satisfying meal.