RECIPE // Eggs Kurosawa

Brown rice topped with scrambled eggs, tofu and shitake mushrooms in a soy-chile sauce, toasted sesame seeds, and seaweed.

About ten years ago, my brother bought me a cookbook from a restaurant he had gone to once while on tour on Vancouver Island (he is a musician). The restaurant was called Rebar, and apparently he had eaten Eggs Kurosawa there and was sure I would love it. So he bought me the cookbook specifically so I could have the recipe and make it myself.

Looking at the list of ingredients, it wasn’t something that I would necessarily have picked out of a book myself. But my brother has good taste so I made it out of curiosity, and it turned out to be one of my favourite recipes and regular staple.

This dish is healthy, hearty, flavorful, and filling. It is also a surprise crowd-pleaser. I have cooked it for many people over the years – at group gatherings, for friends and family, and even for kids. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t love it, and more often than not I have been asked for the recipe.

The picture below is my son’s plate, which shows all of the different components of the dish. He loves every part of this meal, but like a lot of kids he prefers his food to be separated. 😉

I have modified the recipe quite a bit over the years according to my own taste, but it is not too far from the original. I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Short-grain Brown Rice

2 cups Purified Water

1 Vegetable Boullion Cube

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1 T Expeller-pressed Sesame Oil

1 T Canola Oil

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 t Crushed Red Chilis

3/4 Cup Soy Sauce or Tamari

3/4 Cup Vegetable Broth

3/4 Cup Honey or Agave (or mix)

2 t Corn Starch

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2 T Olive Oil

2 Shallots, thinly sliced

1-2 cups Shitake Mushrooms, chopped

1 Block Firm or Extra Firm Tofu, cubed

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6 Eggs

2 T Milk

Salt and Pepper

1 pad of Butter

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1/4 cup Sesame Seeds

1/2 cup Nori, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown rice: Bring brown rice, water, and bouillon cube to boil, then cover and let simmer for 45 minutes. Keeping the lid on, let sit for another 10 minutes until done.

2. Soy-chile sauce: Heat oils in pan, then sauté garlic and chiles for a minute or two until just cooked. Add soy sauce and vegetable broth and stir until combined. Add honey and/or agave and stir until dissolved. Mix corn starch in a little water and stir into the mixture. Let simmer about 5 minutes until thickened, then let cool. Pour into a jar. You can use part of this for the kurasawa and reserve the rest in the refrigerator.

3. Sesame seeds: Heat sesame seeds on a pan over low heat for a few minutes until lightly browned and aromatic but not burned. Set aside.

4. Tofu mixture: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes. Add shitake mushrooms to the mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for another few minutes until shallots and mushrooms are cooked. Pour into a bowl and set aside, then add the tofu to the oil and cook that for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until it is slightly browned. Add the cooked mushrooms and shallots and about 2/3 cups of the soy-chile sauce and stir well. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes over low heat until sauce reduces, stirring occasionally.

5. Scrambled eggs: Add pad of butter to a medium-sized pan and allow it to melt slowly over low heat. Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Swirl butter in pan until it coats the bottom, then add egg mixture. Cook at a fairly low temperature, stirring occasionally, until desired readiness.

6. Layer all ingredients in bowls in the following order: brown rice, scrambled eggs, tofu mixture, toasted sesame seeds, and sliced nori. Serve hot with chopsticks for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.