Bol Renverse

Bol Renverse translates to “upside-down bowl”. A popular dish in Mauritian households and can be found on some Chinese restaurant menus. It’s a Chinese-Mauritian fusion dish that consists of layers of chicken, vegetables and rice that are crowned with a perfectly oozing fried egg. The dome shaped dish is then garnished with spring onions or chives to finish it off.

I originally tried this dish years ago at my lovely friend Usha’s house and had never eaten anything like it before. Initially, I was unsure about having an egg on top, but after consuming it, I absolutely loved it. This is my adaptation of the classic Mauritian Bol Renverse recipe shared with me by my friend. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g boneless chicken breasts/thighs cut into strips

2 tbsp. light soya sauce

2 tbsp. dark soya sauce (or dark mushroom soya sauce)

Black pepper (to taste)

4 tbsp. oil

4-5 cloves garlic crushed

1 green chilli finely chopped

2 tsp crushed ginger

1 large shallot or scallion chopped

200g mushrooms washed and sliced

1 small bunch of Pak choi sliced

3 tbsp. oyster sauce (you can use vegetable oyster sauce)

1 ½ tsp corn flour

½ cup of water (more if needed)

4 eggs

500g basmati rice

Spring onions or fresh chives for garnish.

Instructions

Mix light soya sauce and black pepper, pour over the chicken and leave aside.

Wash the rice a few times until the water runs clear. Leave to soak in cold water for 5 minutes and cook according to packet instructions.

Heat oil in a large pan, add garlic and let sizzle.

Add the chilli, ginger and the chicken and stir fry for a few minutes until chicken is almost cooked.

Then add in the mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Stir in the rest of the soya sauce and little more black pepper followed by the Pak choi and cook for another minute.

Dissolve together the oyster sauce, corn flour and water and pour this mixture over the chicken.

Stir well and cook until the gravy has thickened and then fold in the shallot.

In another pan, fry the eggs leaving a runny yolk.

To serve, place egg in a bowl, put some of the chicken mixture on top of the egg and then fill rest of the bowl with cooked rice.

Cover the bowl with a plate and invert the contents of the bowl onto the plate.

Garnish with spring onions or chives and serve hot on its own or with a tomato chutney or tomato/chilli sauce.

P.S To make it vegetarian you can replace the chicken with meat free chicken pieces or just make it with more vegetables e.g. mushrooms, carrots, baby corn etc. Also, use vegetarian oyster sauce and if like me you prefer your egg slightly more well done, then just cook the egg for a little longer.