Weeknight slop. That caught your attention didn’t it? Yes, you read that right. It’s my go-to weeknight recipe. Faithful, tried, and true.
This is not a recipe that is search engine optimized. It is not a recipe that is particularly pretty. It is not going to win you effusive compliments with the dinner party set.
But it is a weeknight recipe that is made of just a few ingredients. It’s a weeknight recipe that comes together quickly when you’re juggling a hundred other things. And it’s a recipe that pulls the curtain back on what this food blogger really eats when she is desperate to eat something good and fast.
A Longtime Go-To
I’ve been eating some version of this for the past 6+ years, and it has saved me from many a night of eating sad leftovers, ordering disappointing takeout, or just languishing on the couch beset by my own laziness at the end of the day. I walk in the door just a hungry zombie with a singular mission.
On auto-pilot, I can throw this together in 15 minutes as long as I have eggs, avocado, and rice on hand (fairly standard millennial staples, yeah?). Bonus if you have a really ace rice cooker like mine that works like lightning with 1 cup of uncooked rice.
What Is Weeknight Slop?
So what IS weeknight slop and what does it entail? Grab some cooked rice—probably leftover from the night before, fry an egg, mash an avocado over the top, drizzle with soy sauce, a dollop of chili oil or my preferred #1 spicy bae, chiu chow oil, and toss in a big chopstick-full of chili bamboo shoots (i.e., not actually that spicy, delightfully salty, and kinda smelly in that very particular pickled/jarred Chinese way that I personally love.
They can be bought jarred or you can make them yourself with my chili bamboo shoots recipe. Pickleheads, please try. Those averse to strong smells, maybe skip this one.).
Sprinkle over some white pepper for some multi-dimensional heat. Mix in earnest with a spoon until everything’s broken up (it’s kind of like the laziest Chinese spin on bibimbap you could possibly conceive), and dig in. (It also makes for a great lazy brunch!)
While it doesn’t sound like much and in fact may be entirely bizarre to just about anyone reading this, the reason why this weeknight recipe has endured in my regular rotation is because it’s really, really, really TASTY.
I can’t guarantee that everyone will love it, but if you make it and like it, you may just end up converted. Try it! This is literally the lowest bar we will probably ever set on the blog, so you may want to take advantage now.
Recipe Instructions
Make the rice or take out your leftover cooked rice and reheat it. Put it in a serving bowl. One that is easily held while sitting in front of the TV or huddled over your computer.
Fry the egg–to your liking! Scrambled or hard-boiled will do just fine too.
While the egg is cooking, grab the avocado. Halve it, seed it, and cut it up. Or just scoop it out over the rice.
Add your preferred concentration of chili bamboo shoots (optional, but this is one of my favorite parts. Make your own chili bamboo shoots with my recipe!)
Fetch your preferred spicy chili oil agent from the fridge. Add in a scoop of that to taste.
I’m also partial to our chiu chow chili sauce.
Drizzle the soy sauce over the whole thing. Add a pinch of ground white pepper too if you like.
Stir to break up the egg and avocado, and enjoyyy.
Weeknight "Slop" (Rice with Spicy Bamboo Shoots, Eggs, & Avocado)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 1 fried egg (to your liking)
- ½ avocado
- A wad of preserved chili bamboo shoots (you heard me)
- A dollop of chili oil (or chiu chow oil, to taste)
- A drizzle of soy sauce
- A pinch of ground white pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Make the rice. Put it in a bowl. One that is easily held while sitting in front of the TV or huddled over your computer.
- Fry the egg--to your liking! Scrambled or hard-boiled will do just fine too.
- While the egg is cooking, grab the avocado. Halve it, seed it, and cut it up. Or just scoop it out over the rice.
- Add your preferred concentration of chili bamboo shoots.
- Fetch your preferred spicy chili oil or chiu chow oil from the fridge. Add in a scoop of that to taste.
- Drizzle the soy sauce over the whole thing. Add a pinch of white pepper.
- Mix and enjoy!
nutrition facts
Sounds very interesting. Would sui mi us cai work as well? What vegetables can be put on top as well?
*sui mi ya cai
I would definitely use that! And any vegetables you have will do!
Make a version of this all the time, inspired by bibimbap and donburi bowl at local ramen restaurant. We use kimchi, pickled (grated) ginger, homemade pickled carrots and daikon, avocado, steamed fish or silken tofu, and a dollop of sour cream on brown rice. Love the idea of bamboo shoots and homemade hot sauce. Easy dinner!
Thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Amelia! Yumm–yeah I love doing a similar thing with bibimbap too! Quick trip to HMart and you’re pretty much set. :)
I actually eat exactly the same thing (rice, eggs, some kind of pickles, soy) whenever I’m feeling lazy/wanting some comfort food! Seriously loving the blog, so many recipes remind me of what my mum used to cook/my travels in China. Keep up the great work!
Niceeee! Good to know I’m not alone :) Thanks for the kind words and for reading / commenting / cooking!
Even your “slop” is very pretty and thus photogenic! Looks yummy!
Thank you, Sabine! :)
Delicious and versatile!
Indeed! :)
My sister and I make a variation of this that we’ve called “poor man’s bibimbap” using kimchi, whatever greens we have in the fridge, fried egg, and gochujang with a splash of sesame sauce. And sometimes, when the fridge is really empty, the dish becomes just a fried egg on rice… I love this version too! Perfect for a busy weeknight or late night snack :)
I also make that! Made it in college whenever I’d treat myself with a shlep to the HMart on the outskirts of Philly. Yummm
I came across the chili bamboo shoots in the Asian Grocery a while back. They are so delicious, you could just jam with chopsticks or fork straight from the jar! (Guess how I know this!) :D
Yaassssssss I have to fight really, really hard to not do that on a regular basis..
Looks good and fast. Will give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! Hope ya like it!
Looks like lazyman’s bibimbap to me.
Take out and toss the avocado in the trash and I could enjoy that.
Being happily retired… there’s no “weeknight” in my vocabulary.
Just a lazyman’s hungry toss-together meal.
I’ll check out your “chiu chow oil” recipe.
Hahahah, hope you enjoy it, Doug! And do check out the chiu chow! :)
This looks fast, easy, and tasty. Evening slop. Nice tip of the wok to John Mellencamp .
;)