Asian Rice Bowl Recipe Tom Douglas Served at His Restaurant

I used to be obsessed with an Asian rice bowl recipe Tom Douglas served at his restaurant, Home Remedy. It had sour notes from pickled daikon, umami from mushrooms, creaminess from soft-boiled egg, and bitter from spinach that came together in an extremely well-balanced bowl.

Home Remedy closed, so I decided to create a version at home to fulfill my craving. My number one goal was to create an extremely flavorful pork and I’m happy to report, I blew myself away.

The pork came out incredible on my first try (how does this happen?!). It was easy to make and, dare I say, the pork came out better than Home Remedy’s (sorry, I still love you, Tommy D!). Keep reading for step-by-step instructions to recreate this delicious slow cooker Asian rice bowl recipe.

What This Asian Rice Bowl Recipe Tastes Like

This Asian rice bowl is just as well-balanced as I remember Tom Douglas’ being. The pork has deep umami flavors thanks to the soy sauce, plus that irresistible fatty, juicy flavor coaxed out with a quick browning and slow heat. I love that it still feels bright, though, because of the pickled radishes and bok choy. And that creamy hit thanks to the runny egg yolk…it’s the perfect accompaniment to the addictive sauce mixed into the rice.

I still can’t believe this can all come together with fairly little effort. If you need a comforting dinner recipe, this pork shoulder Asian rice bowl is it!

The Recipe:

Serves 4 | Active 20 minutes | 8 hours, 15 minutes total

Ingredients:

1 heaping Tbsp. coconut oil
2.5 lb. bone-in pork shoulder
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup mirin
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. hoisin
2 cup white rice
1 lb. bok choy
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
6 radishes, sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds
4 large eggs
Chopped green scallions & sesame seeds for serving (optional)

Directions:

Step 1

Heat coconut oil in a deep skillet or pot (I used my Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Pat pork dry, season generously with salt and pepper, and add to skillet. Brown meat on one side without moving until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Flip and brow other side, another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 2

While the pork browns, whisk the soy sauce, garlic, mirin, brown sugar, sesame oil, honey, hoisin, and 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the pork and flip a few times to coat in the sauce. Cook pork on low heat for 8 hours.

Step 3

30-40 minutes before the pork is done, cook the rice. I use my Aroma rice cooker that measures out how much water I need via a line in the rice holder, but if you don’t have one of these, use this recipe (sans the butter).

Step 4

After you get rice started, whisk the rice vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the sliced radishes and soak for about 20 minutes (longer is ok!).

Step 5

After you get the pickled radishes soaking, it’s time to steam the bok choy. Add water to a pot fitted with a steam basket and heat. Once boiling, add the bok choy to the steamer basket, season with salt, & toss around a few times. Cover pot and steam until bright green and wilted, 3 minutes.

Step 6

Make a 6-minute egg. I used Kenji’s recipe: bring water to a boil in a small pot. Once boiling, slowly lower eggs into water with a spoon and reduce heat so that it’s barely a simmer. Cook the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and run under cold water. Once cool, carefully peel the eggs and set aside until right before serving.

Step 7

When the pork is done, add rice to 4 bowls. Add the bok choy, some pork, and some of the pork’s cooking liquid. Cut the eggs in half and place 2 halves in each bowl. Add some pickled radishes and then garnish with sesame seeds and green scallions. You can even add sriracha if you like heat. Enjoy!