Bol Renversé: The Mauritian Upside-Down Bowl

In Mauritius, the bol renversé — literally the "upside-down bowl" — is a Sino-Mauritian classic: the dish you'll find in almost every Chinese restaurant on the island, and one every family loves to recreate at home. Its name comes from the final flourish: you build the bowl upside down, then turn it out onto the plate in one motion. The rice forms a dome, the chicken and vegetables nestle around it, and the fried egg sits proudly on top.

Here is the authentic bol renversé, explained step by step for 2 to 4 people — with the knack for flipping the bowl without any stress. And the ingredient that makes all the difference: the chicken.

The ingredients (for 2 to 4)

• 400 g free-range chicken (breast or boneless thigh), thinly sliced
• 2 bowls of cooked white rice, piping hot
• 2 to 4 eggs (one per person)
• 1 pak choi (or a few brèdes / leafy greens), leaves separated
• A handful of mushrooms (button or wood-ear), sliced
• 1 carrot, cut into fine strips
• 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic and ginger
• 1 tsp cornflour (slaked in a little cold water)
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• Oil, a pinch of sugar, pepper

The recipe, step by step

1. The rice. Cook the white rice and keep it piping hot — it's what gives the bowl its shape.
2. Marinate the chicken. Thinly slice the free-range chicken and toss it with a little soy sauce, a pinch of cornflour and half the garlic-and-ginger. Leave for 10 minutes.
3. Stir-fry the chicken. In a hot wok with a drizzle of oil, sear the chicken over high heat until golden. Set aside.
4. The vegetables. In the same wok, stir-fry the carrot, then the mushrooms and finally the pak choi with the rest of the garlic-and-ginger — keep them crunchy.
5. Thicken the sauce. Return the chicken, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, a pinch of sugar and a splash of water. Stir in the slaked cornflour: the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
6. The fried egg. Alongside, fry one egg per person, white set and yolk still runny.
7. Build the bowl (upside down). Take a bowl. Lay the egg in first, face down. Add the chicken and vegetables in their sauce. Finish with the hot rice, packed down firmly to fill the bowl.
8. Turn it out. Set a deep plate over the bowl, hold both firmly, and flip the whole thing in one clean motion. Lift the bowl away: the rice forms a dome and the egg ends up on top. Scatter over the spring onion and serve at once.

The "renversé" knack

Build it in reverse. It all comes down to the assembly: you fill the bowl in the reverse order to how you eat it. Egg first (it'll finish on top), then the topping, and the rice last, packed down to act as a "plug". A plate laid flat, one confident flip without hesitating, and the bowl turns out on its own.

Rice that holds. Rice cooked ahead and still hot packs down better and keeps the shape of the bowl. Too wet and it collapses; too dry and it won't hold together. Basmati or long-grain rice works beautifully.

Chicken seared over high heat. The secret to a good stir-fry is a fast sear in a very hot wok: the chicken browns without weeping water and stays tender. This is where free-range chicken earns its place — its firm flesh holds up to the heat and keeps its flavour.

Why free-range chicken changes everything

You can make a bol renversé with any chicken. But with a real free-range chicken, the stir-fry moves up a level. Raised outdoors for 81 days and halal certified, it has firm flesh that holds up to the sear, without weeping water — and a clean, full flavour that carries the soy-oyster sauce. Breast or boneless thigh, cut into fine strips, are perfect for the wok.

• Free-range chicken, outdoors for 81 days, halal certified — from Rs 425/kg, VAT included.
• Breast or boneless thigh, ideal for stir-frying — vacuum-sealed and cut to order: just ask for it "thinly sliced for bol renversé" on WhatsApp.
• Delivered cut to your recipe: all you have to do is fire up the wok.
• Price confirmed by weight, before delivery — every piece weighs a little differently.

Pay on delivery (cash or Juice MCB) · nothing is paid online · free delivery from Rs 1,500, anywhere in Mauritius.

Frequently asked questions