Bol renversé

Ingredients

Rice

• 400 glong grain rice, cooked and cooled

Chicken

• 500 gchicken breast or thigh, in thin strips
• 2 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 1 tablespoonoyster sauce
• 1 teaspooncornflour
• 1 teaspoonsesame oil
• black pepper

Vegetables

• 300 gpak choi or Chinese greens, chopped
• 1carrot, in fine matchsticks
• 3garlic cloves, chopped
• 2cm ginger, grated
• 3spring onions, sliced

Sauce

• 300 mlchicken stock
• 2 tablespoonsoyster sauce
• 1 tablespoonsoy sauce
• 1 tablespooncornflour, slaked in water
• 1 teaspoonsugar

To assemble

• 4eggs
• oil, for frying
• 4small bowls

Directions

1. Cook the rice ahead and let it cool. Freshly cooked rice is too wet and sticky. Cool it within an hour and keep it cold. Cut the chicken into thin strips. Put it in a bowl with the soy and oyster sauce. Add the cornflour, sesame oil and pepper. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. The cornflour coating keeps the meat tender.
2. Let it sit for fifteen minutes. Making the sauce is done first. Combine the stock, oyster sauce, soy and sugar. Bring it to a simmer in a small pan. Stir in all of the slaked cornflour. Simmer until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Take it off the heat and keep it warm.
3. Heat oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer. Let it sit for a minute without moving. Then stir-fry it for two or three minutes. Take it out and set it aside now. Add a little more oil to the wok. Add the garlic and the ginger.
4. Cook them for about thirty seconds. Add the carrot matchsticks and stir-fry for a minute. Add the greens and stir-fry for two minutes. They should stay bright and slightly crisp.
5. Add the spring onions at the end. Return the chicken to the wok. Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Toss everything together and take it off the heat. Fry the eggs one at a time in a little oil. The whites should set and the yolks stay soft.
6. Oil the inside of each small bowl lightly. Lay a fried egg in the bottom, yolk down. Spoon the chicken and vegetables over it. Press them down into the bowl gently. Press it down firmly with the back of a spoon. Pack it tight so it holds together. Fill the bowl right to the rim.
7. Set a warm plate over the top of the bowl. Hold both of them together firmly. Set the plate down and lift the bowl away slowly. The rice should hold its dome shape. Pour the remaining hot sauce around the base. Scatter extra spring onion over the egg. Serving it is done immediately.

Technique

• Mauritius has a long-established Chinese community, largely of Hakka origin, and Sino-Mauritian food is a distinct part of the island’s cooking.
• The dish is a Mauritian invention rather than an imported Chinese one, despite its clearly Chinese technique.

Substitutions

• Pork, beef or prawns can replace the chicken.
• Any Chinese greens work, and ordinary cabbage will do at a pinch.

Variations

• A vegetarian version uses tofu and mushrooms in place of the chicken.
• Some snack shops add Chinese sausage to the filling.
• A seafood version with squid and prawns is also sold.

History

A Sino-Mauritian invention: rice, meat and a fried egg packed into a bowl and flipped onto the plate, the upside-down bowl.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bol renversé?

Bol renversé is a main from Mauritius: upside-down bowl of rice, chicken, vegetables and fried egg. A Sino-Mauritian invention: rice, meat and a fried egg packed into a bowl and flipped onto the plate, the upside-down bowl.

How long does Bol renversé take to make?

Bol renversé takes 30 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bol renversé?

Yes, within limits. Pork, beef or prawns can replace the chicken. Any Chinese greens work, and ordinary cabbage will do at a pinch.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bol renversé?

The dish is a Mauritian invention rather than an imported Chinese one, despite its clearly Chinese technique.