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Savoury Mushroom Rice in a Cabbage Dome

By Petty Pandean-Elliott

Savoury Mushroom Rice in a Cabbage Dome
There’s something comforting about a warm bowl of nasi tim – soft, savoury steamed rice flavoured with spiced shiitake mushroom.

Savoury Mushroom Rice in Cabbage Dome (Nasi Tim Jamur Sawi Putih) Recipe

Simple yet comforting, Savoury Mushroom Rice in a Cabbage Dome is especially popular in Chinese-Indonesian households. I first tried nasi tim as a child at a friend’s home. Their version had chicken and mushrooms. In mine, I leave out the chicken, use more mushrooms and add layers of napa cabbage for extra veggies.

Traditionally, Savoury Mushroom Rice in a Cabbage Dome is served in small portions. I’ve made a bigger version to share, with boiled eggs hidden inside to form a dome shape. Serve with light broth, spring onions (scallions), pickled cucumber and chillies.

Makes 8 serves

Ingredients

  • 200 ml dark soy sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 bird’s eye chillies, chopped finely
  • 4 soft-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 300 g/10 ½ oz (1 ½ cups) jasmine rice, well rinsed
  • 40 g/1 ½ oz fresh root ginger, minced
  • 1 napa cabbage, leaves separated
  • 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
  • 400 g/14 oz shiitake or Portobello mushrooms, chopped into 1-cm/½ -inch dice
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley or celery leaves, to garnish
  • Pickled shallots, cucumbers, and chillies, to serve

Method

  1. To make the marinated eggs, combine the 200 ml dark soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic (minced), 4 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 bird’s eye chillies (chopped finely), in a deep container. Add 100 ml /3 ½ fl oz (scant ½ cup) of water and mix well. Add the eggs, ensuring they are submerged in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
  2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the rice, half of the ginger and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Pour in 300 ml/10 fl oz (1 ¼ cups) of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the water has evaporated. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to very low and steam for another 10 minutes. (Alternatively, prepare the rice in a rice cooker.)
  3. Meanwhile, remove the stalks from the cabbage leaves and set aside. Blanch the cabbage leaves only in a pan of boiling water. Set aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining half of the ginger and the chillies and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, season with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper and sauté for 8 minutes until the mushrooms are caramelised. Add the sweet soy sauce and the cabbage stalks and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Taste: it should be balanced – not too sweet or salty. Check the seasoning and remove from the heat.
  5. Lay two-thirds of the blanched cabbage leaves in a 20-cm/8-inch heatproof bowl. The cabbage should cover the bowl entirely. Add the mushroom mixture and half of the rice. Arrange the eggs in the bowl, spaced apart, adding some of the rice between them. Cover the surface with rice, then cover with the remaining cabbage leaves. Gently press the rice to make sure it is even. Steam in a larger steamer basket or wok, covered, for 30 minutes.
  6. Using oven gloves (mitts), carefully transfer the bowl to a chopping (cutting) board lined with a dish towel. Put a large plate on top of the bowl, then quickly invert the bowl and lift it off. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and serve with pickles.

This is an extract from The Indonesian Vegetarian Table by Petty Pandean-Elliott. Published by Phaidon. Book cover imagery: Phaidon. Food imagery: Yuki Sugiura. RRP $49.95.

 

More recipes from The Indonesian Vegetarian Table

Vegetables with a Spiced Coconut and Peanut Sauce

Blue Sago Pudding with Mango

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