100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015, No. 51: Telur Balado at the Rice Bowl II

Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It's a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It's a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern cuisine and beloved tenets — and everything in between.

It’s hard not to giggle like a kid about to open birthday presents when you're walking into the Rice Bowl II. That's because I know to ask for the Indonesian menu. It’s not like a whole lot of people don’t know that secret by now, but to this day, most of the patrons order off of the green Chinese menu instead of the cream-colored Indonesian one. I'm sure the Chinese food is just fine, but it's a lot easier to find than Indonesian food. 

I order the telur balado every time I'm there. These are hard-cooked eggs steeped in sambal, a fiery, garlicky, thick sauce (which is probably available at your local grocery store, by the way) until the outside of the white becomes taut and takes on the slightest tinge of orange.

They are some of the best eggs ever invented for brunch — well, at least if you like your eggs with a hit of heat. Really, telur balado are a mere cultural step away from huevos rancheros. It’s just that the eggs are boiled instead of fried, there are no tomatoes in the sauce and the peppers are red instead of green. If you like salsa on your eggs and have never had telur balado, this is the next adventure to pursue. 

Be sure and order the fresh young coconut drink over crushed ice to help cool down your mouth afterward. Make it a full meal and also order the beef rendang, big hearty pot-roast-like chunks in a rich coconut curry sauce. It’s another must-try dish at the Rice Bowl II.

Like so many other Houston food writers, I owe a big thank-you to Greenway Coffee's Ecky Prabanto and David Buehrer for introducing me to the delightful Indonesian food at the Rice Bowl II. 

The List of Top 100 Dishes of 2015 So Far:

No. 52, Green Curry at Asia Market Restaurant
No. 53, Foie Gras Breakfast at Triniti
No. 54, Korean Fried Chicken at ToreOre at Super H Mart
No. 55, Bulgogi Bibimbap at BiBiJo Express at Super H Mart
No. 56, Vegetable Plate at Hugo's
No. 57, The Cured Plate at Revival Market
No. 58, Simply Grilled Fish at Ibiza
No. 59, Tonkotsu Black Ramen at JINYA Houston
No. 60, The Rancor Burger at The Petrol Station
No. 61, Heritage Sampler Platter at Rudi Lechner's
No. 62, Oxtails at Le' Pam's House Of Creole
No. 63, The 420 Slice at Pi Pizza Truck
No. 64, Frenchy's Fried Chicken On Scott Street
No. 65, 3 Pig Mac & Cheese at Urban Eats
No. 66, Pucchia Pugliese Foggia at Sud Italia
No. 67, Triple-Smoked Pastrami On Rye At Kenny & Ziggy's
No. 68, Fume Pizza at Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana
No. 69, Banh Mi Thap Cam at Café TH
No. 70, Caramelized Onion Soup at Mockingbird Bistro
No. 71, Milk Chocolate Stout Malt at Fat Cat Creamery
No. 72, Pork Ribs at Roegels Barbecue Co. 
No. 73, Carrot Pizza at Weights + Measures
No. 74, Jalisco Wings at El Big Bad
No. 75, Mussels at Cafe Brussels
No. 76, Cresta di Gallo at The Pass & Provisions
No. 77, Beef Fajitas at El Real Tex-Mex 
No. 78, Chicken Tikka Masala from the Tandoori Nite truck
No. 79, Chocolates at Cacao & Cardamom
No, 80, Hummus Supreme at Al's Quick Stop
No. 81, Red Oil Dumplings at Mala Sichuan
No. 82, Tex-Cajun Fries at BB's Café
No. 83, Mac & Cheese at The Oceanaire Seafood Room
No. 84, The Principal Burger at Bernie's Burger Bus
No. 85, Hunter's Honey-Roasted Duck at Brennan's Of Houston
No. 86, Fish & Chips at Good Dog Houston
No. 87, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit at Blacksmith
No. 88, "Saucy Balls" At Brooklyn Meatball Company
No. 89, Perry's Steakhouse/Perry & Sons Pork Chop
No. 90, General Tso's Chicken from The Rice Box
No. 91, Eggs, Refried Beans, Hash Browns and Hugo's Sauce at 59 Diner
No. 92, Shipley Do-Nuts Plain Glazed 
No. 93, Housemade Bologney at Public Services Wine & Whisky
No. 94, Bo Luc Lac at Cheno's (formerly Chino's) Fast Food
No. 95, Combo #5 at Soto's Cantina
No. 96, Carnitas Salad At Chipotle
No. 97, Pickled Shrimp At Punk's Simple Southern Food
No. 98, Lobster Roll At Maine-Ly Sandwiches
No. 99, Chili-Cheese Coneys At JCI Grill
No. 100, Corned Beef Hash And Eggs At House Of Pies