One of my favorite cookbooks is Love and Olive Oil‘s Breakfast for Dinner. (I did a post highlighting their Huevos Rancheros Tacos a while back.) So it’s probably not surprising that I make a few recipes from this cookbook on a regular basis. One that I love to make in particular is their version of the Hawaiian dish Loco Moco.
Typical Loco Moco is usually made with white rice, topped with a hamburger patty (or spam), a fried egg, and brown gravy. Love and Olive Oil’s version substitutes coconut sticky rice for the white rice, uses ground pork instead of the hamburger patty, and finishes the dish off with a sweet-spicy-salty soy sauce reduction rather than brown gravy.
I decided to alter their recipe slightly to give it a local spin; this version is topped with pork roll (or Taylor ham) instead of the ground pork, and this recipe for New Jersey-style Loco Moco was born!
Pork Roll is originally from Trenton, New Jersey (hence the name of this post), but can also be found in parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The pork product is thinly sliced and pan fried and is a staple in most breakfast places in the area.
adapted from Love and Olive Oil’s Loco Moco Recipe
Ingredients:
Coconut Rice:
- 2 cups white sticky rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
Soy Reduction:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or low sodium coconut aminos to make gluten free)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
Toppings:
- 4 slices pork roll
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- ground pepper, to taste
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Note: White sticky rice is sold as sweet rice and can be found at specialty grocers and Asian food stores. I was able to find it at Wegman’s.
You’ll need to prep the rice in the morning so that it is ready for dinner that night. Combine 2 cups of white sticky rice with 2 cups cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. (I typically keep mine in the fridge for about 12 hours just due to my work schedule and it turns out fine.)
When ready to cook, pour the rice and any remaining liquid into a large saute pan. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Â Simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for at least 5 minutes.
While waiting for the rice to cook, add soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, brown sugar, and sriracha to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until thickened and reduced by half, about 6-8 minutes.
Prepare the pork roll by making four slits to keep the pork roll from puffing up while cooking.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork rolls and cook until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pork rolls and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Brush the saute pan with vegetable oil and  crack eggs into opposite sides of the pan to keep them from running together (my egg had two yolks!). Season with ground pepper.  Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Divide rice between serving bowls. Top each with one pork roll and a fried egg. Drizzle with soy reduction, sprinkle green onion and cilantro on top, and serve.
This recipe is the perfect Breakfast for Dinner dish. The sweet rice is a nice complement to the saltiness of the pork roll, and the runny egg adds a creaminess to the dinner. The soy sauce reduction is oh so tasty — a little sweet, a little salty, and a little bit of heat. (Be sure to use reduced sodium soy sauce, regular soy sauce would be way too salty for this recipe).
The dinner comes together really quickly and is a great comfort food meal!
- Coconut Rice:
- 2 cups white sticky rice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Soy Reduction:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or low sodium coconut aminos to make gluten free)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- Toppings:
- 4 slices pork roll
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- ground pepper, to taste
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- Note: White sticky rice is sold as sweet rice and can be found at specialty grocers and Asian food stores. I was able to find it at Wegman’s.
- You’ll need to prep the rice in the morning so that it is ready for dinner that night. Combine 2 cups of white sticky rice with 2 cups cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. (I typically keep mine in the fridge for about 12 hours just due to my work schedule and it turns out fine.)
- When ready to cook, pour the rice and any remaining liquid into a large saute pan. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for at least 5 minutes.
- While waiting for the rice to cook, add soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, brown sugar, and sriracha to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until thickened and reduced by half, about 6-8 minutes.
- Prepare the pork roll by making four slits to keep the pork roll from puffing up while cooking.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork rolls and cook until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pork rolls and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Brush the saute pan with vegetable oil and crack eggs into opposite sides of the pan to keep them from running together. Season with ground pepper.
- Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Divide rice between serving bowls. Top each with one pork roll and a fried egg. Drizzle with soy reduction, sprinkle green onion and cilantro on top, and serve.
I haven’t heard of this dish before but I am loving the combo of items. My husband and I would love this dinner.
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