a VU on Food

As it is with most ‘foreign’ cuisines, there are a couple dishes that make it mainstream. For Italian, it might be pizza and spaghetti with meatballs; Mexican might be nachos and burritos; and Chinese might be fried rice and stir-fry. And like it is with all food, no matter where it comes from, the home-made versions can sometimes be very different. As a foodie, I am always seeking out the ‘real’ thing which isn’t always easy to find. A lot of the time, the only way you’ll ever get a true version of a dish is if you have it in someone’s home or go visit that country yourself.

There is one particular dish whose mainstream version has always bugged me – fried rice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_rice). I’ve recently been looking a lot of things up on Wikipedia to see what ‘the world’ has to say, and the description for fried rice was pretty much what I expected. The first thing Wikipedia points out is that it is “a popular component of Chinese food”. However, with Chinese food becoming more and more mainstream over the past decade (example: Panda Express: http://www.pandaexpress.com/)   I feel like the true flavors of dishes such as fried rice have lost their way. I have to point out though that I’ve never been to China (only Vietnam and Thailand), and I’ve never had fried rice in someone else’s house (who wasn’t family). But with that said, I have to confess my constant disappointment when someone orders fried rice from a restaurant (whether it be Chinese, Vietnamese or other) because I just know it is SO easy to make and would be a million times better home-made. Do you notice that the restaurant version is usually brown and a bit dry? Don’t you find it pretty salty too?

To be true to my last blog though, I have to remain unbiased here. Everyone has their version and their preferences. Nonetheless, I thought I’d at least share one of my absolute favorite recipes (it’s also the only dish my boyfriend will actually request that I make). It’s probably one of the first dishes I ever cooked before I was even ten. It’s one of those dishes that is seriously comforting on a Saturday morning or even for a quick mid-week dinner. (Note – it’s great for hangovers too)

It can be eaten for any meal of the day, and I’ll give you ideas for variations at the end. It really is best to use day (or two) old rice, but fresh rice is possible too. The best type to use is Jasmine or any long-grain rice (in the UK, Tesco sells what they call Thai rice). If you’re not sure how to make rice, just order a couple extra servings the next time you order in Chinese or Thai. My version is made with Chinese-style sausage which can be found at any Asian supermarket. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen this at a ‘regular’ grocery store but it can be easily substituted with any leftover chicken or pork. You could even use some leftover rotisserie chicken. Just be sure to add a bit of oil when heating it up so that it doesn’t dry out.

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Serving for one (depending on your appetite just double or even triple the recipe!)

INGREDIENTS

2 shallots or half an onion  

2 garlic cloves or garlic powder

Small handful of cilantro (aka coriander)

Chinese-style sausage

~2 cups of cooked white rice

2 eggs

Maggi soy sauce or any other light soy

Vegetable oil or any other plain oil

Small piece of butter, to your liking 

Fresh black pepper

* Fish sauce is optional

* Sriracha hot sauce also optional

DIRECTIONS

If using cold rice, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. This will help soften the rice a bit and speed up cooking. Try to break up any lumps while it’s still cold. It will allow the flavors to get into the rice easier.

Thinly slice your shallots. If using onion instead, chop into small pieces. Mince your garlic. See the picture for a little trick to mincing garlic. I cut it like I would an onion. Cut long slits into the clove. Then thinly slice it. This may not be the best description, but hopefully you get the picture. Roughly chop your cilantro and set aside to add in at the end. Finally, slice your sausage. If you’re using another type of meat just chop it up into small bite-sized pieces.

For a single serving, use a standard-sized frying pan (preferably non-stick). Heat the stove to medium. If using an electric hob, you might want to set it at 7 or 8 as it might take awhile to heat up. Then add in your meat. This type of sausage does not require any oil and is best when burnt a little. Your kitchen will start to smell amazing and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without this sausage! If using another meat, add a bit of oil and maybe a little black pepper.

When the sausage has started to brown, add a little bit more oil (even though there will be a bit of sausage grease). If you’re really feeling indulgent, use butter. Add in your shallots/onions first. Let them cook a bit and then add in your garlic. Let the garlic soften but be careful not to burn it.   Next add in the rice. This is easiest to cook with a big wooden spoon by the way! Mix everything together and then season with your Maggi. This stuff is pretty light, but add a few dashes at a time. TASTE before you add too much. Throw in a little piece of butter or two depending on how dry your rice is. Ground some fresh black pepper. Taste and season to your tasting. Of course the more butter there is the better! But it’s still just as good without. Stir and let the rice cook for about 7-10 minutes until it’s warm but not dried out. Take off the heat and add the cilantro and you’re done!

Now you could eat this just as it is, but when I make it I serve it with two perfectly fried eggs on top. I have two tricks to frying my eggs to make them perfectly running – pretty high heat and a lid. If you keep the stove and make your eggs right after you’ve finished the rice, then the pan will still be warm enough. The lid helps to cook the top at the same time. If you’re using high heat, your eggs are done as soon as the top turns white. Cook with a little butter and black pepper and you’re set! I personally like a little Sriracha with mine, and hopefully your yolks will look like this!

Voila! I hope you'll love this dish as much as I do!

Hopefully your yolks will be this runny! Yum!

This is the first time I’ve written this recipe down, so if anyone has any questions or critique please please please share!

VARIATIONS

• If you’re in the mood for scrambled eggs, make with a little splash of fish sauce, black pepper and green onions.
• Remember this dish was originally a way to use your leftovers! Be creative but try to keep your flavors Asian-like. For example I wouldn’t use sundried tomato sausages or chorizo.
• Don’t hesitate to use frozen vegetables. Some frozen peas and carrots are great additions. Water chestnuts and baby corn (both from cans) also add a great bit of crunch.
• If you want to make this your main dish with egg MIXED in, my trick is to use a wok. After the rice has been seasoned and is warming up, I move it to the sides and make a little hole in the bottom. Scramble the eggs in a small bowl, add a little bit of oil or butter to your hole and add the eggs. Fold the eggs in the hole until it’s nearly cooked then mix it all together. If you mix it before it cooks, you won’t get nice little pieces of egg. The other (longer version) of adding egg to your fried rice is to make an omelet and slice it into strips. Think Japanese Tabago-style.
• If you like a little spice, add jalapenos!

Now to finish with a fun picture – check out the knife drawer my dad built because he was bored one day.

The knife drawer in my parents' kitchen