Smoked Sausage Rice Bowl

On paper, a sausage rice bowl is about the most basic thing you could cook: some sausage, a fried egg, a scoop of rice. It's the kind of meal a starving college student throws together on a budget, and it looks the part. What you don't expect is to crave it.

The reason is the sauce. Ketchup, oyster sauce, and a pinch of curry powder cook down into a glaze that's tangy and sweet, brimming with umami and just enough heat to keep things interesting.

Use smoked sausage and it goes somewhere even better. As the pieces brown, the smoke catches on that sweet, spiced glaze until the whole bowl starts tasting like a plate of barbecued meat. That contrast, a plain-looking bowl with deep, smoky flavor, is why I can't stop making it. And since the egg and the sausage share one pan, it's on the table in about five minutes.

If you'd rather lean more savory than sweet, swap the oyster sauce for a teaspoon of soy sauce.