Every rice-centred cuisine has a version of fried rice to use up leftover cooked rice. I created this dish inspired by the Vietnamese tomato rice, cơm đỏ, which Mark Jensen introduced me to. It’s a great way to not only use up excess steamed rice but also any sprigs of Asian herbs you have on hand, I love it with perilla, Vietnamese mint and Thai basil. Served with some slices of cucumber and lettuce leaves, it goes from being a side dish to a complete meal.
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 2½ cups cooked jasmine rice
- 50g butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Salt flakes, to taste
- Handful Asian herbs, sliced
For more inspiration from Mark Jensen, check out A Month of Vietnamese Inspired by Mark Jensen.
Method
- Put rice into a large bowl and use wet hands to break it up.
- Melt butter in a wok or frying pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant.
- Add rice, increase heat and stir to coat well.
- Add tomato paste and keep stirring until it’s evenly distributed.
- Taste and add salt.
- Press down to form a flat cake. Reduce heat to low and continue frying for 10-15 minutes, until the base is crisp and well coloured.
- Loosen the edges of the cake with a spatula, place a plate over the frying pan and invert cake onto the plate.
- Scatter herbs over the top and serve.
