Bowl food recipe: Salmon donburi by Emma Rice

Inside In The Moment issue three we uncover the secrets of wabi-sabi living, and if you’re feeling inspired by the wabi-sabi lifestyle, try one of these delicious bowl food recipes from Emma Rice.

"I have always loved rice – as a family my ancestors lived all over the Far East, so I think that’s why I grew up eating a lot more rice dishes than the average 1980s family," says Emma.

Check out more healthy recipes:

• Emma Rice's spicy chicken salad recipe
• Tenderstem, pancetta and goat's cheese salad recipe
• Spiced chai smoothie bowl recipe

"Then later in life I discovered, like many people, I don’t digest wheat very well, and my son is also very intolerant, but rice suits us all down to the ground.

"My husband can eat it to carb-load before training, and the kids eat it whenever they’re hungry with whatever they find in the fridge: leftovers, hard-boiled eggs, or sometimes just soya sauce and nori seaweed. It’s the perfect staple for busy household."

Ingredients

• 100 grams of Japanese rice
• 2 salmon fillets
• A whole cucumber
• 25 grams of salt
• 50 grams of sugar
• Black peppercorns
• Rice/cider vinegar

Method

In the morning (or even better, the day before) make the pickled cucumbers:

1. Use a mandolin or cheese slicer to make cucumber ribbons.
2. Pack into a Kilner jar.
3. In a small saucepan add 100 grams of sugar with 50 grams of salt to 150 ml of rice/cider vinegar, warm it up, and stir until everything has dissolved.
4. Pour this over the cucumber, and add some black peppercorns. Leave for as much time as you're able.

Then prepare the rest:

1. Cook the rice – and remember to wash or polish it first to make the grains perfect.
2. Season and oven bake the salmon until it's just opaque; don’t overcook it.
3. When you're ready to eat fill your bowl with rice, lay salmon on top and put a good amount of picked cucumber on the side.
4. Sprinkle with black sesame to serve.

Emma lives between Bath in England and Marrakesh in Morocco, with her three children, husband and sausage dog. She eats rice out of a bowl every day. Follow her on Instagram: @owl_emma.