This easy and tasty blistered green bean rice bowl with spicy chili crisp and saucy soft-boiled egg is the perfect meal for a hectic week. It comes together effortlessly in about thirty minutes and it’s an absolute breeze to meal prep. Plus the combination of blistered green beans and smoky chili crisp is so good, you’ll end up craving it!
What You’ll Need
The beauty of this blistered green bean rice bowl recipe is that you can substitute any ingredient with what you have on hand. You’re literally a half hour away from what’s sure to become one of your favorite weeknight meals!
- Chili Crisp– this oil-based Chinese condiment is brimming with spicy and crunchy ingredients like fried garlic, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and chiles. A few teaspoons add texture and smoky heat, but more importantly, make the blandest ingredients lip-smackingly good. Substitute it with your favorite hot sauce.
- Rice – Any kind of rice will do, just make sure to adjust the liquid ratio and cook time. You can substitute the rice with your favorite whole grain or cauliflower rice. Just follow the cooking directions on the package.
- Green Beans – are a perfect vehicle for chili crisp and add texture and a wallop of nutrition. Substitute green beans with asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, or chickpeas. If you don’t mind losing out on texture, substitute the green beans with wilted kale, spinach, sliced peppers, or mushrooms.
- Cooking Oil– Oil helps flavor green beans by blistering them quickly and creating char. Use your favorite cooking oil, but steer clear of olive oil and butter; you need a fat that can withstand high heat without burning.
- Eggs – Feel free to make the egg however you prefer but keep in mind that a soft-boiled egg’s yolk helps create a sauce. Check out our tutorial on How To Make Perfect Soft-Boiled Eggs. If you want to hard-boil the egg or skip it altogether, add a little butter to the rice to prevent a dry bite.
How To Meal Prep Blistered Green Bean Rice Bowls
Blistered green bean rice bowls meal prep beautifully because there are just a few ingredients and only a handful of steps. This recipe is for two servings, so if you want to make enough for the week, double or triple it. Simply portion the rice in an airtight container, top it with green beans, add the egg, and then season with chili crisp.
How To Store Leftovers
You can refrigerate leftovers for up to two days in an airtight container. To reheat, sprinkle the rice with 1/4 teaspoon of water, and microwave it until steaming. Though the rice and green beans both freeze well, I don’t recommend freezing soft-boiled eggs.
How To Cook Rice
Cooking rice is ridiculously easy if you keep these 5 tips in mind:
Know the type of rice you’re cooking. The ratio of rice to liquid changes with the kind of rice you use, as does the time it cooks. The below ratios make for a toothier, looser grain. If you prefer softer rice, increase the liquid by a half cup.
- Short Grain Rice: 1 cup rice – 1 cup liquid – cook 18 minutes
- Medium & Long Grain Rice: 1 cup rice – 1 1/3 cups liquid – cook 15 minutes
- Brown rice: Boil it like pasta (in lots of water until al dente ) for 30 minutes, strain all of the water out, cover the pot, and let the rice rest in it for 10 minutes
Wash the rice. Cleaning the grains under cool running water until the water runs clear eliminates the starches that give you a gloppy result.
Bring the water to a boil before you add it to the rice. It keeps your timing on point.
Low and slow is the way. When the rice comes to a boil, lower the heat. Making rice at a boil makes the grains burst, leaving you with a starchy mess.
Keep it covered. Lifting the lid releases steam, increasing cooking time and ruining the texture. Once the rice is done, rest it for 10 minutes before uncovering it.
Blistered Green Bean Rice Bowl
Servings 2 bowlsIngredients
- 1 1/3 cup water ($0.00)
- 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed until the water runs clear ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed, rinsed, and dried ($1.99)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper ($0.01)
- 2 eggs ($0.53)
- 2 tsp chili crisp ($0.20)
Instructions
- In a small heavy-bottomed pot set over medium high heat, bring the water to a boil. Then add the rice and the butter.
- Once the water returns to a boil and steam vents begin to appear on the surface of the rice, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Do not uncover the rice as it simmers.
- While the rice cooks, soft boil two eggs in a small pot. Bring an inch of water to a boil, add the eggs straight from the fridge, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the hot water and run them under cold water to stop them from cooking any further.
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and then the green beans. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the green beans, give the beans a few good stirs, then let them brown on one side without moving, about 4 to 5 minutes. Once browned remove them from the heat, and set aside.
- When the rice is done, take it off the heat and let it sit, covered, for ten additional minutes. Then uncover it and fluff it.
- To serve, divide the rice between two bowls. Top each mound of rice with half the blistered green beans and half the chili crisp. Peel the eggs, slice them down the middle lengthwise, and garnish each bowl with an egg. Enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Blistered Green Bean Rice Bowl- Step by Step Photos
In a small heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat, bring the 1 1/3 cups of water to a boil. Then add 1 cup of rice and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Once the water returns to a boil and steam vents begin to appear on the surface of the rice, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for fifteen minutes. Do not uncover the rice as it simmers.
While the rice cooks, soft boil two eggs in a small pot. Bring an inch of water to a boil, add the eggs straight from the fridge, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs from the hot water and run them under cold water to stop them from cooking any further.
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and 8 ounces of green beans. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper over the green beans, give the beans a few good stirs, then let them brown on one side for about 4 to 5 minutes without moving them. Once browned, remove them from the heat, and set aside.
When the rice is done, take it off the heat and let it sit, covered, for ten additional minutes. Then uncover it and fluff it.
To serve, divide the rice between two bowls. Top each mound of rice with half of the blistered green beans and chili crisp. Peel the eggs, slice them down the middle lengthwise, and garnish each bowl with an egg. Dig in!
Made this yesterday – I’d had extra rice from the night before, so it came together incredibly fast! I used the frozen green beans from Trader Joe’s & they turned out well, only thing is I cooked just one egg in a tiny pot & didn’t adjust cooking time, so it was hard-boiled, but still went really well with the dish. Amazing recipe!!!
This recipe was fantastic. Less than 20 minutes to do from start to finish (using a rice cooker), and even though I had never soft boiled an egg before it was super easy and came out great!
Love the flavors or this and the way it can make a balanced meal for cheap!!
This was such a great weeknight meal! We upped the egg count per person, but still ended up being under 5$ for the whole recipe. The egg yolk melds perfect with the chili crisp! I used frozen green beans, cause I had them on hand, so I bet would be even tastier with fresh. Thanks :)
This was so simple but so good! We added the marinated tofu from the Soy Marinated Tofu Bowls recipe on this website and it was an excellent addition to make the dish even more filling and enjoyable. Healthy, highly-customizable, and delicious as is, this dish is a winner!
I don’t have much use for rice bowls or jammy eggs, but these green beans are magnificent! I just fixed them for 2 of us and served with grilled chicken cutlets. It is absolutely worth buying fresh green beans for this! I usually buy the little haricots vert–usually slightly more expensive per lb. than regular green beans–but full sized green beans are best for this recipe. Anyone who enjoys hot spices absolutely must have chili crisp in the pantry. It’s everywhere now and in a range of prices. Trader Joe’s version is very good and quite reasonable, but many might consider Fly by Jing brand worth the investment–it’s really delicious. Aldi might have it, but haven’t seen it yet at my local store. You know what Aldi is like–they usually get everything eventually, but typically once or twice a year. If you see it, buy it! I’ve been using chili crisp–sparingly–to perk things up for a couple of years.
Would frozen beans work, if there were patted dry after thawing?
They should totally work! Although, they likely won’t need as long to cook, and they might not be quite as crunchy as fresh. And if possible, I’d suggest using whole green beans rather than pre-cut. ~ Marion :)
What is chili crisp and where can I find it?
We provide a full explanation of chili crisp in the section of the blog post labeled “WHAT YOU’LL NEED.” You should be able to pick some up at most grocery stores (usually on the International/Ethnic foods aisle rather than with the rest of the condiments), but will find a wider selection and lower prices at an Asian market. If it’s difficult to source where you live, you can click the link highlighted in yellow to order some online. ~ marion :)