Reuben Fried Rice

For the corned beef, place the brisket in a large oven-proof dish and spread out the kimchi on top. Transfer the dish to the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. (We used the Prime Freeze drawer and the Quick Cooling function for 15 minutes in our Panasonic Prime+ Premium 3-door Refrigerator NR-CW530.)

Transfer the brisket into a large deep saucepan. Add the peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, cloves and brown sugar, as well as the onion and carrot pieces. Add enough water to almost cover the brisket. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes or until the brisket is tender but not falling apart.

Meanwhile, place the rice into a fine sieve and wash with water to remove excess starch. Place the jasmine rice in a saucepan, along with 2¼ cups water. Heat the rice over high heat until the water starts boiling. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook until you can see the rice grain starting to rise above the water. Cover with a lid that is slightly ajar to let some of the steam escape. Cook for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes it should look like all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. Turn the heat off and cover completely with the lid. Allow the pot to sit on the warm hotplate for 10 minutes to allow the steam to continue cooking the rice (alternatively, use a rice cooker). Use a fork to fluff the rice grains and transfer to a large baking tray. Place the rice, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best though) to cool it down before using it for fried rice.

While the rice is cooking, let’s make the thousand island sauce. Add the egg yolks to a large bowl (save the egg whites in your fridge to make a cocktail or other dish with them!), along with the mustard, salt and lemon juice. While continuously whisking everything together vigorously, slowly drizzle in the oil to emulsify the ingredients and keep whisking until a thick mayonnaise forms.

For the breadcrumb sprinkle, chop up the rye bread into large chunks, then use your hands to rip into breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over high heat until it’s foaming, then add in the breadcrumbs and the chopped pickles. Stirring often, cook for 10 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden. Add in the paprika and mix through, then cook for another minute. Remove pan from the heat and transfer breadcrumbs to a large bowl. Set aside.

Remove the brisket from the brining liquid and transfer to a chopping board. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Use a carving knife to cut into thick slices, then chop into bite-sized chunks. You’ll need about 2 cups of chopped brisket.

Preheat the oven grill to high. To make the fried rice, place a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, then add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Next, add the kimchi and stir-fry for a minute so the flavours can make friends with one another. Now push everything to the side and add the egg to the empty side. Spread it out with your spatula and allow to set, then break it up and mix it through the remaining ingredients.

Add 1½ cups of the corned beef and the chilled rice to the wok, followed by the soy sauce. Now toss everything together until each grain of rice is coated with sauce and is looking delightful.

To serve, spoon rice into a small bowl and pack down. Place a serving plate on top of the bowl then, in one swift movement (and holding things securely), flip everything over and remove the bowl. You should be left with a cute retro-looking dome of rice. Place the Swiss cheese on top of the steaming hot rice, then place under the grill for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Drizzle over some of your thousand island dressing, then top with the remaining corned beef, your breadcrumb sprinkle and some spring onion. Serve immediately.