This is a flavor bomb and surprise hit – thanks to my friend Lucy for originally making it! It has all the flavor notes, sweet-spicy-salty-umami. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi.

Ingredients

• 80 ml vegetable oil
• 8 green onions, 6 finely chopped and 2 finely sliced
• 4 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 180 g short-grain brown rice
• 50 g dried shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 150 g radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 T rice-wine vinegar
• ½ t caster sugar
• 50 g crispy shallots, shop-bought or homemade
• 1 t aleppo chilli flakes
• 1½ T red pepper flakes
• 1½ T white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 T black sesame seeds, toasted
• 2½ t grated tangerine zest
• 2½ T soy sauce
• 4 soft-boiled eggs (optional but highly encouraged)

Instructions

1. Combine oil, chopped green onions, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 t salt in a large saute pan.
2. Fry for 12 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until soft and very aromatic. (Turn down the heat if it begins to color or sizzle too much.)
3. When cooked, strain and reserve oil.
4. Return half the drained solids to the pan.
5. Put the reserved oil and the rest of the spring onion mixture in a small bowl. Set aside.
6. In two batches, blitz the rice in a food processor, until the grains are broken up. (The mixture should still have some rice chunks.)
7. Add the shiitake in 2-3 batches, and pulse until chopped into roughly 1 cm pieces.
8. Add the rice mix to the pan with the spring onions, then add 1.5 L water and 1 t salt.
9. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower heat to medium and leave to cook for 30 minutes, stirring often until well cooked and the consistency of wet porridge.
10. While the rice is cooking, put the radishes in a bowl with vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 t salt. Leave to pickle and set aside.
11. Add aleppo and red chilli flakes, white and black sesame seeds, grated tangerine zest, and soy sauce to the remaining green onion and oil mixture. Stir to combine.
12. When the porridge is ready, serve in bowls topped with a portion of chili-onion-sesame mixture, pickled radishes, sliced green onions, crispy shallots, and a soft-boiled egg cut in half.