Eel and Egg on Vegetables and Rice

Eel and Egg on Vegetables and Rice

This recipe was originally created on the road and replicated at home on multiple occasions. It was also featured in The 2023 Why Waste? San Pellegrino Cookbook, which was reviewed by a panel of judges before printing. Play around with it, and let me know what changes you made!

1 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil

½ cup leftover rice

½ tsp minced garlic ½ cup sautéed spinach and mushrooms

½ can roasted eel in sauce

1 egg

1 Tbsp Furikake seasoning

Serves 1

This recipe requires two small pans or 1 large pan with enough space to cook in different areas. A griddle would also work. The whole thing takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on how quickly you work.

Heat rice separately in the microwave (1-1/2 minutes, wet paper towel on top to keep it from getting dry). Set rice aside while making the rest of the food. If you are good at timing, do this about 3 minutes before serving.

In the first pan, heat the leftover spinach and mushrooms and the minced garlic over medium-low heat until steaming.

In a separate pan, heat on medium-low and add the eel in the sauce (scrape that tin!). This works best in a non-stick pan, but if that’s not available, lightly spray/wipe oil on the cooking surface to prevent sticking/burning. In the first pan, move the vegetables to the side and add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and crack the egg over top. Cook the egg until the white is fully cooked, and the yolk is cooked to your preference. I like mine runny, so this will work best with the rice.

In your serving bowl, place rice, then vegetables. Pour eel in sauce over top. Be sure to scrape the pan with your rubber spatula, the sauce is important. When the egg is finished, slide the egg on top of the bowl and top with Furikake seasoning sprinkled over the dish. Allow everything to settle, for about 30s-1m, and eat. Utensils are the maker’s choice, but I find that chopsticks help to break up the rice and egg combination beautifully. You want the dish to have a combination of textures to balance properly. If you find you want additional salt, use soy sauce sparingly.