An adaptable, starchy side

Coconut oil toasts rice grains, lightly coats vegetables and sizzles eggs in this recipe. It’s a dish that prides itself on its adaptability. You can swap in tofu or tempeh in place of the eggs, use tamari in place of the soy sauce, or substitute prepackaged, trimmed haricots verts if you’re short on time, or wax beans, for the green beans. Make sure to leave the egg yolks runny: They give everything a gentle richness when cut and swirled into the rice and greens.

Toasted Coconut Rice With Bok Choy and Fried Eggs

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil

• 2 cups jasmine or other medium-grain rice (12 ounces), rinsed and drained

• Kosher salt

• 8 ounces bok choy

• 6 ounces green beans

• Toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce and Sriracha, for serving

Directions:

Take your eggs out of the fridge so they won’t be ice-cold when you fry them.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the rice, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains start to look translucent and smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim the bok choy and green beans. If the bok choy are large, halve them lengthwise, then cut into 3-inch pieces crosswise. Scatter the green beans over the rice (the water will be mostly absorbed) and sprinkle with salt. Spread the bok choy on top of the beans and season with salt. Drizzle or dollop 1 tablespoon oil over the greens. Cover and steam until the greens and rice are tender, about 10 minutes.

When the rice is almost done, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry until the whites are set and the yolks runny, 3 to 4 minutes.

Divide the rice and vegetables among 4 dishes. Slide an egg onto each. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and season to taste with soy sauce and Sriracha.

Total time: 30 minutes, serves 4.

Tip:

It’s fastest and easiest to rinse grains in a sieve. Simply run cold water over them while gently shaking the sieve, then gently shake dry. It’s important to rinse grains to clean them and in the case of quinoa, to remove saponins, which can leave a bitter or soapy aftertaste.