Spicy-Tangy Red Beans and Rice with Steamed Eggs

Early in the week, I discovered something wondrous - the roundup to the You Are What You Cook event hosted by incredible, ever-brilliant Sophia of Burp and Slurp. I read each word of the roundup, followed by each post, with growing delight, captivated by the inspiring stories and pithy culinary metaphors. Suddenly, the magic moment happened - my eyes alighted upon a recipe I just knew would be perfect for supper that night, a recipe that called all other menu plans into question and cast them aside. Namely, a beautiful egg-topped rice dish, entitled Bap Egg on Top, created by Andrea of Andrea's Wellness Notes. We always have at least 10 pounds of brown rice residing in our pantry, and how long had it been since we'd really, properly, had eggs for supper? Far too long.

By the time I arrived home from work, I'd decided to create another fusion dish - red beans and rice (a staple meal in our home) with Andrea's Korean seasonings! Andrea, thank you, thank you for the recipe and the inspiration!

The eggs were simply the perfect, comforting complement to the explosive flavors in the beans and rice. The fiery spice and salty-sweet tang was so enchanting that I even turned a scoop of the leftover beans and rice mixture into a beans, rice, and cheddar cheese sandwich for my lunch at work the next day! Ah, it's amazing how a bit of culinary magic awaiting you at noon-time makes alighting from bed at 4AM so much easier...

Spicy-Tangy Red Beans and Rice with Steamed Eggs
(Adapted from Andrea's Recipe)

1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 T Gochujang (Korean spicy red pepper paste)
2 cups brown rice
1 T canola oil
2 (14.5oz) cans red kidney beans, drained
1 to 2 eggs per person
1 tsp olive oil

~ Whisk together the soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, sesame oil, and Gochujang, and set the mixture aside.
~ Cook the rice according to your preferred method (we're in love with our rice cooker...).
~ In a large pot or skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat, then add the cooked rice and toss quickly, just for a few seconds, to allow the rice to toast.
~ Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in the beans.
~ Gradually add some of the sauce, a little at a time, to taste - you'll likely have some of the sauce leftover for other moments of deliciousness. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the beans and rice are heated through.
~ To prepare the eggs, coat a large skillet over medium-high heat with cooking spray, and add the tsp of olive oil. Add the whole eggs to the skillet, quickly season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, cover the dish, and cook until the yolks are cooked to your preference (we like ours runny, just like Sophia does! :-)
~ To plate the dish, place a serving of the beans and rice mixture onto the plate, and top with 1 or 2 eggs! Serve right away...