Bol renversé

Notes on a bowl of yumminess flipped on a plate 🙃

If you like Chinese takeout, you’ll probably find Chinese Mauritian cuisine familiar. They’ll just be referred to with different names that are a mix of kreol morisien (Mauritian creole) and hakka, the two languages most Chinese people in Mauritius speak. For instance, my family and friends call chow mein mine frir (kreol morisien), imperial rolls hakien (phonetic spelling in hakka) and chayotte dumplings niouk yen (hakka). But there’s one Chinese Mauritian specialty you will not get from regular Chinese takeout: bol renversé.

Bol renversé is French for upside-down bowl. The name comes from how the dish is presented: egg, stir-fry and rice stacked in a bowl and flipped onto a plate 🙃.

While there are several recipes for bol renversé on the Internet, not many articles describe the history of the dish. I have no idea who invented it. Ten years ago, one of my friends found out about bol renversé in a documentary about Chinese food around the world. They called it “Magic Bowl” 🙃. No one calls bol renversé “Magic Bowl” in Mauritius! More recently (ten minutes ago), I found a French Wikipedia article on bol renversé. It is relatively new, but it’s the most promising informatory material I’ve found.

Why do I care? Because I love bol renversé and I want the amazing food in Mauritius to be known.

Bol renversé is a very versatile dish, so you are always going to find something different every time you look for a recipe. But there are usually 3 ingredients that are on all the recipes you’ll find: rice, eggs and soy sauce. The rest is up to you. Skip the meat to make it vegetarian. Don’t like chicken? No problem! I have a friend who puts hot dogs on her bol renversé. Love eggplants? You’re in for a very greasy and rich sauce!

Speaking of which, the sauce is perhaps the element in bol renversé that might require some guidance. So here’s my take on bol renversé!

Bol renversé

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Rice

  • 2 cups (500 ml) long grain rice

  • 3 cups (750 ml) water

• Vegetable stir-fry

  • 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-cm pieces

  • 2 large carrots, sliced

  • 1 can (400 ml) baby corn, cut into 2-cm pieces

  • 1 large onion, sliced

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• Sauce for the stir-fry

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) corn starch

  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) cold water

  • 2/3 cup (167 ml) chicken broth

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) oyster sauce

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) Chinese wine

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) brown sugar

• Chicken

  • 675 g (1 lb) chicken breasts, cut into 2-cm pieces

  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) ginger, sliced

  • 1 tbsp (10 ml) soy sauce

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) brown sugar

• Chinese green vegetables (optional)¹

  • 8 medium bok choy

    or 4 cups (1 L) yu choy, the best Chinese green vegetable

  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

  • 2 tsp (10 ml) soy sauce

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil

  • 1/2 tsp (1.25 ml) freshly ground white pepper

• Garnish

  • 4 eggs

  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

  • 4 green onions, sliced

Instructions

Rice

In a large pot, add the rice and water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Set aside.

Vegetable stir-fry

1. In a wok or large frying pan, brown the onion in the oil. Add the garlic.

2. Add the eggplant and carrots and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Add the baby corn.

3. Meanwhile, make a slurry in a small bowl by combining the corn starch with the water. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Add both to the pan once the vegetables are tender. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and cook until the sauce thickens (about 3 minutes).

Chicken

1. Meanwhile, in another wok or large frying pan, brown the garlic and ginger in the oil for 1 minute.

2. Add the chicken and fry until it starts browning.

3. Add the soy sauce and sugar and keep frying until the chicken becomes slightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Chinese green vegetables (optional)

1. In the same pan, sauté the bok choy or yu choy with the oil for 2 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil, and cook for 3 more minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Garnish

You want sunny side up eggs for bol renversé.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Crack the eggs into the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for about two minutes or until the whites are mostly set but the yolks still runny.

Assembly

1. Assemble each bowl as follows. Place an egg so that the yolk faces the bottom of the bowl. Then, add a layer each of chicken, Chinese greens, and stir-fry. Top with rice and press gently to create a flat surface.

2. Cover the bowl with a plate. Holding the bowl and the plate together firmly, flip them quickly. Lift the bowl. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.

1. I realize that the recipe is long, so here’s a step you can skip. Chinese greens don’t add much to the flavour of the dish, but they add texture.