This delightful rice dish masterfully blends warm, buttery rice with a refreshing chilled cucumber sauce, tangy pickles, and soft-centered eggs. The juxtaposition of hot and cold elements creates a meal that is both comforting and invigorating, making it an ideal choice for a swift summer lunch or a hassle-free weeknight dinner.
To prepare this dish, start with the pickled cucumbers. Slice 200g of baby cucumbers into rounds and sprinkle them with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, tossing well. In a separate heatproof bowl, mix 75ml of freshly boiled water with three tablespoons of caster sugar and white-wine vinegar. Pour this mixture over the cucumbers and let them pickle while you move on to the other components.
For the rice and eggs, rinse 200g of Japanese short-grain rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or a saucepan with 250ml of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat, cover, and let it cook for about eight minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and keep it covered for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.
While the rice rests, prepare the cucumber sauce by blending a large, peeled, and deseeded cucumber with 100g of crème fraîche, a generous pinch of flaky salt, and a garlic clove until smooth. Chill the sauce in the refrigerator with an ice cube to maintain its coolness. Simultaneously, bring a saucepan of water to a boil, cook two medium eggs for seven minutes, and then immediately rinse them under cold running water before carefully peeling them.
Once the cucumbers have pickled, drain them and mix 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 bowls, adding pieces of 40g soft salted butter on top to melt. Surround the rice with the chilled cucumber sauce and top with the pickled cucumbers. Halve the peeled eggs and place them over the rice, finishing with finely sliced spring onions and a generous seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately to enjoy the delightful contrast between the warm rice and eggs against the chilled sauce and crisp pickles, offering a light, flavorful, and satisfying meal.