A delightful combination of warm, buttery rice and chilled cucumber sauce paired with tangy pickles and soft-centered eggs offers a refreshing yet comforting meal option, ideal for a quick summer lunch or an easy weeknight dinner. This dish, known as Cucumber Rice With Fudgy Eggs, highlights the contrast between hot and cold ingredients to create a light, flavorful experience.
To prepare, you will need 200g of Japanese short-grain rice, two medium eggs, 40g of soft salted butter, and three finely sliced spring onions, seasoned with salt and black pepper. For the pickled cucumbers, gather 200g of baby cucumbers sliced into rounds, one teaspoon of flaky sea salt, three tablespoons of caster sugar, 75ml of white-wine vinegar, a tablespoon of olive oil, a small handful of fresh dill, chopped, and half a teaspoon of dried mint. The cucumber sauce requires one large cucumber, peeled and deseeded, 100g of crème fraîche, a pinch of flaky salt, a garlic clove, and an ice cube.
Start by making the pickles. Toss the sliced cucumbers with salt in a heatproof bowl. In a separate bowl, mix 75ml of freshly boiled water with sugar and white-wine vinegar, then pour over the cucumbers to pickle as you prepare other ingredients. Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain well. Cook in a rice cooker or a saucepan with 250ml of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to the lowest setting, and cover. After eight minutes, remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.
For the cucumber sauce, blend the peeled, deseeded cucumber with crème fraîche, salt, and garlic until smooth. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator with an ice cube to keep it cold. Boil a saucepan of water to cook the eggs for seven minutes, then rinse under cold water and peel carefully. Drain the pickled cucumbers, toss with olive oil, chopped dill, and dried mint.
To assemble, divide the warm rice between two bowls, adding pieces of soft butter to melt over the rice. Spoon the chilled cucumber sauce around the rice and add the pickled cucumbers. Halve the peeled eggs and place them on top, finishing by garnishing with sliced spring onions. Generously season the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately to enjoy the delightful contrast of temperatures and flavors in this satisfying dish.