Mauritian Magic Bowl
By OcadoLife
Published on 21 January 2022
MasterChef winner Shelina Permalloo serves this Mauritian
Magic Bowl in her restaurant. It’s a much-loved dish in Mauritius, called bol
devire or bol renversé, which means upside-down bowl. The bowl is packed with
fragrant veggies, steaming noodles and a fried egg, then theatrically turned
over at the table, to reveal the egg on top. Time and servings
20 minsTotal time
4Servings
20 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 0.5 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 75 ml of white wine vinegar
- 9 garlic cloves, crushed, 4 for the garlic water
- 1 tbsp of chopped chives
- 2 tbsp of cornflour
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 100 g of chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 250 g of pak choi, sliced
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 4 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 0.5 tsp of ground white pepper
- 4 medium eggs
- 600 g of cooked fresh egg noodles, warmed
Method
Step 1
First make the garlic water. Place all the ingredients into a lidded heatproof jar, add 150ml hot water (from a kettle just off the boil) and mix. Cool, then pop in the fridge to infuse for at least 1 hr (or preferably overnight).Step 2
Put the cornflour in a small bowl, slowly mix in 300ml water and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok then add the carrot, mushrooms, pak choi and spring onions; cook for a couple of mins until starting to soften. Add the remaining garlic; stir for 30 secs, then add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, 30ml water and the white pepper. Stir in the cornflour mixture; cook until you have a glossy gravy and the veggies are al dente.Step 3
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs, one at a time, sunny side up, until the yolks are semi-soft. Baste regularly with oil to help ‘set’ the yolks.Step 4
Now for the magic. Get 4 bowls and place an egg, yolk-side down at the bottom. Add the veggies, then top with the noodles. Press down quite firmly, so everything is packed into the bowls. Take the bowls to the table, place a plate on each, then flip them over, removing the bowls to reveal the dish to guests. Or pop the fried eggs on top after turning out the dish if you prefer a runny yolk. Serve with the garlic water to drizzle over.