Were you ever asked to adapt an old-school cycling meal to meet the standards of modern cycling nutrition? Can you share the recipe?
Cantonese rice was a big thing: rice with eggs and ham. I’ve made a million versions of that in my time, and with more interesting ingredients too. Here is a recipe for fried rice with bulgogi sauce.
This dish is a true gem. It’s made from cooked leftover rice; it works brilliantly as a recovery meal or lunch. You can use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. Below is an example of what the dish might look like.
This version is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. It’s easy to make, feeds 2-4 people and you can put it together in 10-15 minutes if you have leftover cooked rice available from the previous day.
Bulgogi sauce ingredients:
- 50 ml soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 clove grated garlic
Fried rice ingredients:
- 400 g cooked rice
- 3 eggs
- 2 red onions
- 250 g broccoli
- 200 g edamame beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Finely slice the onions and broccoli.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and fry the rice until it is very hot.
- Add the onions and fry for 1 minute over medium-high heat.
- Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until all vegetables are tender.
- Season to taste with salt.
- Make a hole in the middle of the rice and pour 1 tbsp olive oil into the pan. Crack the eggs into the hole and scramble them until almost cooked. Then, stir the eggs into the rice mixture until well mixed.
- Season the dish with salt and serve topped with bulgogi sauce.
TIPS: You can cook large amounts of rice and freeze it in portions for later use, such as when you need to cook quickly. You can use all kinds of vegetables for a dish like this. Feel free to add fresh coriander or mint. You can also try bringing the bulgogi sauce to a boil and reducing it to a thicker consistency.
Which regional foods from the Tour de France route have had a strong influence on the cyclists’ diet?
The famous French flag three-colour chickens from Bresse, red comb, white body and blue feet. The riders eat a lot of chicken and this is the best in the world. When you drive into Bresse, there is a giant chicken monument in the roundabout and everywhere you go, there are chicken decorations, they truly embrace their amazing bird.
Is there a really tasty and nutritious meal that is easy to make for the everyday cyclists? Can you share a recipe with us?
Yes, the chicken salad I made for Michael Mørkøv, made with leftover chicken and leftover rice, is ideal to eat for dinner or after a race. I call it the Houle fuel chicken and mango salad.
It’s gluten and dairy free, very easy to make, takes only 10 minutes of prep time and feeds 2-3 people.
Salad ingredients:
- 300 g cold cooked chicken
- 400 g cooked brown rice
- 1 mini romaine (loose leaf, butterhead or whatever variety you prefer)
- 1 mango
- 1 red onion
- 1 lime
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 150 g small tomatoes
- 50 g roasted peanuts
- 1/2 bunch mint
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro or Thai basil
Houle fuel 1.0 dressing:
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
Directions:
- Cut the chicken into slices.
- Rinse the lettuce and break it into bite-size pieces.
- Cut the mango into cubes.
- Peel the red onion and cut it into thin slices. Marinate the slices in the lime juice and maple syrup.
- Rinse the tomatoes and cut them into slices.
- Chop the peanuts.
- Mix the dressing and toss it together with all the ingredients. Season with salt and lime juice.
- Plate the salad in bowls and top with the roasted peanuts and fresh herbs.
