🥘 Ingredients
- 1 cup short-grain rice (sushi or Japanese rice) rinsed
- 1 1/8 cups water
- 6 store-bought or homemade beet falafel (about 300–350 g total; see note if using frozen)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup daikon or regular radish, julienned (about 100 g)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (for pickles)
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon yuzu juice (or 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari to avoid gluten)
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1–2 tablespoons warm water (to thin sauce)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, grapeseed) or sesame oil for frying (see allergen note)
- 1 small sheet nori, toasted and crumbled (or 1 tablespoon furikake)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (white or black)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green separated)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (optional, Mediterranean touch)
- Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional, for brightness)
- Salt and pepper to taste
⚠️ Allergen Information
- Chickpea (legume – in falafel)
- Sesame (tahini, sesame seeds, possible sesame oil)
- Soy (tamari/soy sauce)
- Egg (poached/fried eggs)
- Gluten (possible – if falafel or soy sauce contains wheat; use gluten-free tamari and gluten-free falafel to avoid)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1) Start the rice (total ~18–20 minutes): Place rinsed rice and 1 1/8 cups water in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to low and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered for 5 minutes to steam while you prepare other components.
- 2) Quick-pickle the daikon (10 minutes, can be done while rice cooks): In a bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt until sugar dissolves. Toss the julienned daikon in the pickling liquid, press with a spoon so it’s submerged, and let sit at room temp while you continue (at least 8–10 minutes). Taste and adjust: add a pinch more sugar or vinegar for balance.
- 3) Make the yuzu–tahini sauce (2–3 minutes): In a small bowl whisk 3 tablespoons tahini, 1 tablespoon yuzu juice (or lemon + 1/2 tsp rice vinegar), 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce, 1 teaspoon honey/maple and 1 tablespoon warm water. Add extra water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach a pourable but still coat-y consistency. Reserve 1 teaspoon sliced scallion white for finishing.
- 4) Prep garnishes (while sauce rests): Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat 1–2 minutes until fragrant; set aside. Crumble the nori into thin flakes (or break furikake). Slice scallions and chop herbs. Zest half a lemon if using.
- 5) Crisp the beet falafel (8–10 minutes): Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Pat falafel dry if damp. Add falafel in a single layer and pan-fry 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned and crisp (reduce to medium if browning too fast). For frozen pre-cooked falafel, follow package directions and crisp in skillet 4–6 minutes. Alternatively, bake at 200°C/400°F for 12–15 minutes, turning once.
- 6) Poach the eggs (3–4 minutes for runny yolk): Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and add 1 tablespoon vinegar (optional, helps egg white set). Crack eggs into separate small bowls. Swirl the water to create a gentle vortex and slide eggs in one at a time. Poach 3 minutes for runny yolk, 4 for slightly set. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. (If you prefer, fry eggs sunny-side-up for about 3–4 minutes).
- 7) Assemble the bowls (2 minutes): Fluff rice with a fork and divide between 2 bowls. Arrange 3 crisped beet falafel on each bowl. Nestle a poached egg beside the falafel. Spoon 1–1 1/2 tablespoons yuzu–tahini sauce across the egg and falafel. Scatter quick-pickled daikon on one side.
- 8) Finish with texture & aromatics (1–2 minutes): Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, crumbled nori, scallion greens, chopped parsley/cilantro, and a pinch of lemon zest over each bowl. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil (optional) and a little extra tamari if you like more saltiness. Crack a pinch of black pepper over the egg.
- 9) Serve immediately: Break the egg so the yolk mixes with rice and sauce—each spoonful should combine creamy egg, bright pickles, crisp falafel and savory-yuzu tahini. Leftovers: keep components separate; reheat falafel and rice, add fresh pickles and sauce.
📖 Backstory
I first dreamed the Dawn-buri Delight at precisely 4:07 a.m., which I now regard as the optimal hour for culinary epiphanies. I had rinsed a humble cup of short-grain rice until the water ran clear and the rice recited a three-line haiku about commitment; then, while measuring 1 1/8 cups of water with the solemnity of a ship's captain, I heard a faint, Mediterranean drumbeat drifting through the city. Somewhere between the steam rising from the pot and the memory of a sunburnt falafel vendor who once taught me the proper way to brown chickpea, a plan formed: beet falafel would leap across oceans and land in the bowl next to a soft-coddled egg, all bridged with nothing less than yuzu-tahini and the salty kiss of crispy nori.
The origin story involves fewer gods than you might expect and more neighbors. I swore an oath — to a stray cat, a sushi chef, and my own reflection — to fuse Tokyo precision with the audacity of the Mediterranean street cart. I procured six beet-suffused falafel (about 300–350 g, if you're counting — I always count), julienned a cup of daikon into ribbons that could have been used as miniature banners, and pickled things quickly enough that even the radishes blushed. In that quiet half-light I cracked two eggs with the solemnity of someone launching a revolution in breakfast diplomacy and drizzled yuzu-spiked tahini as if it were an international treaty.
People ask me whether this is breakfast, lunch, or a performance art piece. I tell them it is all three, presented in a bowl that hums like a well-tuned hybrid. The Dawn-buri Delight does what good food should: it confuses, comforts, and convinces you that bridging continents is as simple as layering sushi rice, crimson falafel, speedy pickles, a soft yolk, and a sheet of nori crisp enough to double as a fan. If this dish had a national anthem, it would be hummus set to taiko drums — and my cat, who sampled a stray radish, has unanimously declared it a triumph.
The origin story involves fewer gods than you might expect and more neighbors. I swore an oath — to a stray cat, a sushi chef, and my own reflection — to fuse Tokyo precision with the audacity of the Mediterranean street cart. I procured six beet-suffused falafel (about 300–350 g, if you're counting — I always count), julienned a cup of daikon into ribbons that could have been used as miniature banners, and pickled things quickly enough that even the radishes blushed. In that quiet half-light I cracked two eggs with the solemnity of someone launching a revolution in breakfast diplomacy and drizzled yuzu-spiked tahini as if it were an international treaty.
People ask me whether this is breakfast, lunch, or a performance art piece. I tell them it is all three, presented in a bowl that hums like a well-tuned hybrid. The Dawn-buri Delight does what good food should: it confuses, comforts, and convinces you that bridging continents is as simple as layering sushi rice, crimson falafel, speedy pickles, a soft yolk, and a sheet of nori crisp enough to double as a fan. If this dish had a national anthem, it would be hummus set to taiko drums — and my cat, who sampled a stray radish, has unanimously declared it a triumph.