3637. TOMATO, ONION, AVOCADO and BACON RICE BOWL

makes 4 bowls


2¼ cups short grain rice (Japanese rice), cooked and kept hot
2 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (winter substitute: 1 small peach, 1 small mango, 1 roasted sweet red pepper, cut into ½-inch cubes)
1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
2 small avocados, pitted, peeled, cut into ½-inch chunks
12 slices bacon (7-8 ounces)
sea salt
¾ cup BBC (Basting & Cooking) Sauce (recipe below)
¼ cup chopped parsley

BBC Sauce (makes 2 cups):
1 cup mirin
½ cup sake
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sugar
2 green onions
2 akatogarashi (Japanese dried red chile peppers)
or 1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

BBC Sauce: Combine the mirin and sake in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, sugar, and green onions. Simmer gently for 8 minutes, covered. Remove from the heat to cool. Remove the green onions. Add the peppers. Store in a glass jar with a firm lid for up to 6 months in the refrigerator. This sauce can be used for a number of recipes—having it on hand makes for an efficient way to get a tasty meal on the table very quickly!

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon in a single layer, turning each slice once, and cook until crisp. Drain the bacon on kitchen paper to cool. Discard the fat from the skillet. Crumble the bacon slices into small (½-inch) pieces.

Wipe excess fat from the skillet leaving a thin layer of fat in the bottom. Return the skillet to the medium heat burner, then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until a bit wilted. Add the BBC Sauce. Stir well. Add the tomatoes (or pepper, peach, and mango cubes) and avocados. Cook to heat through.

Distribute the rice among 4 bowls. Place the onion, tomato, and avocado stir-fry over each bowl. Garnish with the bacon crumbles.


bacon recipe source: Tess's Japanese Kitchen, October 2, 2014; Hiroko's American Kitchen: Cooking with Japanese Flavors, by Hiroko Shimbo (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2012)