Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 2 bunches Swiss chard (1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 big Kirby cucumber or half of a conventional cucumber
• 1 medium carrot, peeled
• 6 small radishes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch of fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1–2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
• 1–2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted or black sesame seeds
• 5 cups cooked white or brown rice, or mixed grains, freshly cooked if skipping the rice crisping step
• 2 (2-inch) squares toasted nori
• 2 cups chopped Napa Cabbage or Bok Choy
• Kimchi, preferably homemade
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• Gochujang or Sriracha, for serving

Method

1. Tear the Swiss chard leaves into bite-sized pieces and cut half the stems into 2-inch matchsticks, keeping the rest of the stems for another use.
2. Cut the cucumber into half-inch rounds and then into matchsticks, slice the carrot into thin rounds and shave the radishes as thinly as you can, then toss all of them with the chard stems, the sugar and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and leave them to stand while you cook.
3. Sauté the chard leaves in a tablespoon of neutral oil over medium heat, adding them in handfuls as each batch wilts, with a pinch of salt, for 3 to 5 minutes until the pan looks mostly dry, then move the greens to a bowl and stir in a teaspoon of sesame oil and the sesame seeds.
4. For a crisp rice base, heat the remaining neutral oil and sesame oil in a wide skillet, press the cooked rice in as a thick cake and leave it undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until a golden crust forms underneath.
5. Toast the nori squares by waving them over a gas flame until the corners curl, or crisp them under a broiler, then slice the sheets into thin strips.
6. Just before serving, rinse and drain the pickled vegetables, blot them dry and toss them with the rice vinegar.
7. Scoop the rice into four bowls, making sure each person gets some of the crisped base, and arrange the chard, Napa cabbage, kimchi and sliced avocado on top, spooning the pickled vegetables over with a slotted spoon and scattering the nori last, with gochujang or sriracha passed at the table.

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data