Roast onion and rice

'this really packs a punch' 

This is something simple and delicious that has an almost completely unearned veneer of sophistication. the sauce is the trick here it does a lot of heavy lifting, don't be tempted to douse the dish in the sauce because that will end in a salty mess but rest assured that a drizzle would make even just plain rice an indulgent experience. 

Ingredients 

shallots 800g (the long thin ones if you can get them)

Cherry tomatoes 250g 

Curry powder (a spare teaspoon)

4 eggs (right on the far edge of soft-boiled)

Soy sauce (good soy sauce, this is one of the central flavors of the dish so go premium)

Garlic 5 cloves 

Ginger 

1 Bunch coriander 

Kafir lime leaf (I recommend frozen over dried)

Cornstarch 

Sugar 

Toasted sesame oil 

Neutral oil (just a splash) 

Sushi rice (cooked to packet instructions, does have to be sushi rice)

Pickled radish (I pickled mine with beetroot juice but that was mostly aesthetic)

1. Halve your shallots, then toss them in the curry powder and a sprinkling of soy sauce and oil before roasting them in the oven until they are soft and caramelised. 
2. Meanwhile finely chop the garlic, ginger and the coriander stalks and one or two of the tomatoes, sauté them until fragrant then add a lime leaf. 
3. Soft boil the eggs. 
4. Add a mixture of half water and half soy sauce and bring to a bare simmer for about 20 minuets. then strain in a fine mesh sieve and return to the pan and allow to cool.  
5. Mix about a tablespoon of cornstarch with a little water and stir until smooth before adding to the sauce. 
6. Return the sauce to the heat and cook until it comes to the boil and looses it's milky appearance.
7. Add in a good solid glug of sesame oil and mix vigorously, remove from the heat. 
8. Serve

I served this in shallow bowls with mounds of rice draped with the onions, anointed with the sauce and scattered with chopped coriander and sliced chilies and spring onions.