Back in 2020, I put some curry cubes in my husband Hugh’s Christmas stocking, and our life (particularly his) was cleaved in two: before curry cubes, and after. He took them camping and on cycling trips, and he raved about them to friends. Slowly, they became a pantry staple for us. When I have the time, I like to batch-cook my own curry sauce and freeze it, but when there isn’t time, we love this meal. It feels embarrassingly easy to make, because the cubes bring all the flavour, and also quite fancy at the same time thanks to the egg yolk. We love it, and I hope you will, too.

Japanese curry rice with soy-marinated egg yolk

If you want to make this vegan, just drop the egg. The most readily available brand of curry cubes, S&B Golden Curry, uses RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil in its products, but, if you’re keen to avoid the stuff, I’d recommend Emma Basic. Don’t throw out the egg whites; zip-lock them and save in the fridge or freezer to make a meringue.

Prep 15 min Cook 45 min Serves 4

4 tbsp light soy sauce, plus 1 tbsp extra 4 tbsp mirin 4 egg yolks (optional) 350g short-grain rice ½ tsp salt 4 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 brown onion, peeled and sliced 150g shii****take mushrooms, sliced 2 carrots (200g), peeled and finely diced 300g green beans, cut into 1½cm pieces 4 mild Japanese curry cubes, finely chopped 10g fresh chives, very finely chopped

In a small bowl, mix the four tablespoons of light soy sauce with the mirin, then gently lower in the egg yolks and leave to marinate.

Put the rice in a saucepan with 490ml cold water, add the salt, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, leave to cook for 10 minutes, then take off the heat and set aside, still covered.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan for which you have a lid, heat the oil on a medium to high flame and, once it’s hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, for five minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms, cook for another five minutes, still stirring, then add the carrots, the extra tablespoon of light soy sauce and five tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for five minutes more. Add the beans, cover again and cook for four minutes. Stir through the curry cubes until they melt, then scoop the cooked rice into the pan (I find a spaghetti spoon useful for this). Cook, stirring, for another six to eight minutes, then take off the heat.

Spoon a quarter of the rice into a bowl, pack it down, then invert on to a plate. Repeat with the remaining rice. Use the back of a spoon to make an indent in the top of each mound of rice, then, working one by one, lift the egg yolks from their marinade and place one on top of each portion of rice. Finish with a generous sprinkling of chives and serve.

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