Cold rice, high heat, and patience with the pan. Salt in layers: a little when the onions go in, a little with the tomatoes, and a final pinch at the end. Each addition does something different, and tasting as you go is the whole technique.
If you can only buy one new tool this year, make it a thin, flexible fish spatula. It slides under delicate things, flips pancakes cleanly and costs less than a takeaway.
What stayed with us
The sauce will look too thin when it comes off the heat. Give it five minutes: starch and fat settle, and it thickens into something glossy and clinging.
The details are never the small part.
Leftovers improve overnight. Cool the dish quickly, refrigerate, and reheat gently with a splash of water. It tastes better on the second day, which is its own small reward.
Adjust the heat to your liking. The chilli here is a background hum, not a headline; add more at the table if you want it to shout.
Before you go
- Take your time with it.
- Notice the small things.
- Write down what you want to remember.
Start with good ingredients and a hot pan, and resist the urge to move things around. Most of the flavour in this dish comes from leaving it alone for the first three minutes.
