furikake fried rice + how to poach an egg

It’s funny how comfort food evolves with taste and preferences, and how associations and memories can sometimes play a stronger role in cravings that food itself. I’ve been missing home quite a bit this week. Missing my family and the sunshine, and I’ve had strong cravings for a short escape from this city. But, I couldn’t leave so I decided to cook up some comfort instead. Furikake is something I would have never touched as a child, seaweed seemed so gross to me, you couldn’t have forced me to eat it. Now, it’s one of those comfort foods that reminds me of home, despite the fact that it was rarely found in my house.

For those of you unfamiliar with furikake, it is a Japanese condiment made up of mostly nori, sesame seeds, and bonito flakes. Look at the ingredients when buying it, as several brands do contain MSG and preservatives, but it’s not hard to find it without those items either. Sea vegetables, including nori, are one of the best dietary sources of iodine. Iodine is an essential trace element that plays a vital role in the function of the thyroid gland.

the recipe

• 1 c brown rice
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed from cob
• ½ avocado, sliced thin
• 1 c baby spinach, chopped
• 4 stalks of scallion, thinly chopped
• 1 T coconut oil
• 2 T furikake
• 1 T shoyu
• 1 t sesame oil
• hot sauce
• 2 poached eggs

Cook rice according to package directions. Leftover rice works great for this as well. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet. When hot, add scallion and corn and cook for about 1 minute until the corn is cooked through. Add rice, shoyu, sesame oil, a dash of your favorite hot sauce, and 1 T of the furikake and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Turn off heat and mix in spinach. Top with poached eggs, extra scallion, avocado, and remaining furikake.

how to poach an egg

Poaching eggs sounds like an intimidating task, but it is quite simple, and I would argue much easier than even frying an egg. When poaching eggs, it helps to add about 1 T of vinegar (or lemon) to your water. The acid keeps the whites together by assisting with the coagulation of albumin. Using vinegar is optional, and once you become comfortable poaching eggs you can remove it from the recipe. 

• 2 eggs
• 1 T vinegar
• water

Fill a shallow pot with just enough water to cover the eggs, about 2-3”. Add vinegar and bring water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, crack eggs into individual ramekins. Once the water boils, turn heat to low, wait for the water to stop bubbling, and drop each egg in, bringing the ramekin to the water and gently releasing the egg into the pot. Cook for about 3 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Remove with a slotted spoon.