Sweet Chili Sambal Breakfast Rice with Soft-Scrambled Eggs
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Intro
This breakfast rice leans savory first, with just enough sweet chili sambal to give it a sticky, bright edge. Soft-scrambled eggs are folded in at the end so they stay creamy and distinct rather than disappearing into the pan.
Ingredients
- For the rice: 3 cups cold cooked rice, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 small shallot finely diced, 2 scallions sliced, 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- For the eggs: 4 large eggs, 1 tbsp milk or water, pinch of salt
- For the sauce: 2 1/2 tbsp sweet-chili-sambal, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp water
- To finish: cilantro, lime wedges
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt just until combined; overbeating makes them foam too much and cook up dry. Stir together the sweet chili sambal, soy sauce, fish sauce, and water in a separate bowl.
- Heat a wok or wide skillet over medium heat and add a small slick of oil. Pour in the eggs and stir slowly with a spatula, pulling them into soft folds just until they are barely set and still glossy in places. Transfer them out immediately; they should look slightly underdone because they will return to the pan later.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, add the remaining oil, and cook the shallot and bell pepper for 1 to 2 minutes until the shallot softens and the pepper brightens but still keeps some bite. Add the rice and break up any clumps, pressing it into the pan in places so a little of it toasts.
- Pour the sauce around the outer edge of the pan and toss steadily for 1 to 2 minutes until the rice grains are evenly coated and lightly glossy rather than wet. Fold the eggs and scallions back in at the very end, tossing just enough to distribute them without breaking them down too much.
- Finish with cilantro and lime. The dish should eat like fried rice with little pockets of soft egg rather than one uniform scramble.
Why This Works
Cooking the eggs separately first protects their texture, while the sweet chili sambal seasons the rice directly so the bowl feels integrated instead of topped and unfinished.