A delightful combination of warm and cold elements, this rice dish offers a refreshing yet comforting meal ideal for a quick summer lunch or an easy weeknight dinner. With buttery rice paired with a chilled cucumber sauce, tangy pickles, and soft-centered eggs, the dish delivers a satisfying contrast of temperatures and textures.
To prepare this dish for two, start with the pickled cucumbers. Slice 200g of baby cucumbers into rounds, sprinkle with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, and toss well in a heatproof bowl. In another bowl, mix 75ml of freshly boiled water with three tablespoons of caster sugar and white-wine vinegar. Pour this over the cucumbers and let them pickle while you prepare the other ingredients.
For the rice and eggs, rinse 200g of Japanese short-grain rice under cold water until clear and drain well. Cook it in a rice cooker or with 250ml of cold water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for about eight minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes to finish.
The cucumber sauce adds a cooling component. Blend a peeled and deseeded large cucumber with 100g of crème fraîche, a generous pinch of flaky salt, and a garlic clove until smooth. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator with an ice cube. For the eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook two medium eggs for seven minutes, then rinse under cold running water and peel carefully.
Drain the pickled cucumbers and toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil, a small handful of chopped fresh dill, and half a teaspoon of dried mint. To assemble the dish, divide the warm rice between two wide bowls, adding 40g of soft salted butter to melt over the top. Spoon the chilled cucumber sauce around the rice and add the pickled cucumbers. Halve the peeled eggs, place them on top, and finish with finely sliced spring onions, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately to enjoy the contrasting temperatures and flavors in each bite.