scorched rice with avocado & horseradish tahini

There’s a lot of precedent for purposefully scorched rice: Dominican concón, Korean nurungji, Persian tahdig, Senegalese xoon, Spanish socarrat, and the list goes on. This rice bowl is kindled by that technique and its crunchy-fluffy contrast. Just a slick of oil and a few minutes in a hot skillet transform cooked rice (I like brown for its bonus flavor but, yes, you can swap in white) from tender to cracker-esque. It’s a habit-forming way to spruce up an otherwise-soft grain bowl, whether you’re donning it with ripe avocado and a sinus-clearing horseradish sauce, or a soft-boiled egg and vinegared greens, or, really, whatever you want. a ripe avocado is hard to find This fruit ripens off the vine and does so at its own pace. But these tricks help: If your avocado is a rock and you want a rice bowl soon, put it in a brown bag along with some bananas; they’ll encourage each other. And if your avocado is tender (gingerly press the spot by the stem to check), but you aren’t ready to eat it for a day or more, stick it in the fridge to slow the ripening.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Add the rice to a pot with 2⅓ cups (545ml) water and a pinch of salt, and set over medium-high heat. As soon as the water boils, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat but leave it covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer 1 cup (170g) of the rice to a bowl. Season the rice left in the pot with salt if needed and cover the pot to keep warm.

Step 2

To make the scorched rice, stir 1 teaspoon of the oil into the bowl of rice, and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the oiled rice and spread it flat. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, not stirring at all, until the rice is crispy and popcorn-scented and the grains are starting to separate like lace. Use a silicone or wooden spatula to flip the rice. Toast for another 30 seconds just to kiss the other side, then transfer to a towel-lined plate. Let it cool, then break it into shards with your hands.

Step 3

Halve the avocados and discard the pits. Peel away the avocado skin and cut the flesh into slices, chunks, or both.

Step 4

Divide the fluffy rice among four bowls, then evenly top with the avocado and scorched rice. Serve with the horseradish tahini for everyone to spoon on top, plus lemon wedges if you’d like.