I got to know the bol renversé, or in English the upturned bowl in Mauritius, where it is a traditional dish. As the name suggests, the dish is served in a bowl and turned upside down on the plate. This means that the top comes to the bottom and vice versa.

Mauritius is very multicultural, and this is also reflected in the food.

In the bol renversé – upturned bowl, Chinese cooking techniques and sauces meet Indian and Creole spices

The French influence comes to the fore in the name.

Speaking of French – Besides English, French is a national language in Mauritius. It’s a kind of French, rather Creole, and to be honest I hardly understood a word. And I couldn’t understand a word when the locals were talking to each other. Fortunately, everyone speaks good English and I often hear Italian too. The Mauritians are very talented linguists and some of them have acquired a foreign language themselves. Sometimes with the help of tourists, whom they drove around the island as drivers, for example, or with the help of the television.

But back to the bol renversé.

It consists of rice, meat, or seafood with sauce, fried vegetables, and a fried egg.

As the various ingredients in this dish are layered in a bowl, which is then turned upside down, it’s important which ingredient is layered first and which later.

The idea is that the part with the sauce is added first and then the rice. When the dish is turned, the sauce soaks into the rice. A fried egg is often placed at the top, i.e. at the bottom of the bowl. The whole thing then looks very pretty on the plate. And as the sauce soaks everything up, it’s also very tasty.

There are also layered dishes like this in other countries, but they are not upturned.

But why is the dish turned in Mauritius?

I don’t know exactly where this custom comes from. But I can imagine the following advantages:

This makes the dish easier to transport. The rice on top holds the ingredients with the sauce together better
It looks nice in the (glass) bowl
The ingredients and therefore the flavors mix when turning
Guests will be surprised by this serving technique

You can simply cook your favorite vegetable-meat-sauce dish. Add a fried egg and white rice. First, put the fried egg in the bowl, then the meat/vegetables with the sauce and the white rice on top. Incidentally, the rice must not be too dry, otherwise, it won’t hold everything together so well and the whole thing will be more difficult to turn.

Here is a recipe:

Bol renversé – the upturned bowl

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 17

Total Time 47

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mauritius

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
300 g chicken strips
1 dl white wine
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic pressed
100 g carrots
2 cm ginger finely chopped
150 g zucchini
150 g eggplant
100 g corn kernels
100 g mushrooms e.g. champignon
approx. 1-2 dl dl water
spices of your choice Biriyani mix, curry mix etc.
100 g pack choi or chard
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
Salt/pepper to taste
Possibly 1 tsp corn flour dissolved in a little water
4 eggs
4 portions of cooked rice e.g. basmati
fresh coriander leaves

Instructions

Preparation:

Cut the vegetables and mushrooms into small cubes (approx. 0.5 cm in size)
Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan
Fry the chicken strips in it, then deglaze with white wine and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated
Add the onions, garlic, carrots and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, turning occasionally
Add the zucchini, eggplants, corn kernels, mushrooms, spices and water, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes, covered
Add the pack choi (or chard), mix and cook for a further 5 minutes, covered
Season to taste with soy sauce, oyster sauce and salt and pepper
If the sauce is too thin, thicken with 1 teaspoon of cornflour
Fry 4 fried eggs (on both sides)
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet

To serve:

Brush one serving bowl per person with a little oil and fill as follows:
Fried egg
Meat and vegetable dish
Rice (smooth and press down lightly)
Cover with a plate and turn over quickly
Carefully lift the bowl
Sprinkle with coriander leaves to taste

Keyword Bol renversé, Magic bowl

Bol renversé – the upturned bowl