Sunday Nite Dinner » rice

Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice

Chuck — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:14:27 +0000

One day last week, our fridge was practically empty. The only things we had were eggs and leftover rice. Hungry Bear wanted to use the rice and whipped together a vegetarian fried rice using canned wheat gluten and snow cabbage & bamboo shoots.

We had no intention of posting about this fried rice because it was just dumping two cans of stuff onto rice. But it was so good, I asked Hungry Bear to make it again the next day so we could document it for SND and enjoy it again. You could say this is the fried rice equivalent of dump cake.

The key to this fried rice was the Companion brand canned goods. Companion is a Taiwanese company that provides Chinese-styled vegetarian products with no preservatives or artificial coloring. I love the braised wheat gluten and could eat it every day, if it weren't so high in fat.

Anyway, the fried rice was super easy to make. The canned goods had enough flavor that no soy sauce was required. And there was only a little salt to season the eggs. There's not much else to say about this vegetarian fried rice, except it's deliciously simple!

Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice Recipe

SND Note: We use a combination of eggs and egg whites to be a little healthier. You can use 4 whole eggs instead. You can find many different vegetarian canned goods at any Asian market; substitute with your favorites.

Ingredients

3 large eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups uncooked rice (6 cups cooked)
1 can (10 ounces) snow cabbage and bamboo shoots, drained
1 can (10 ounces) braised wheat gluten (seitan), drained and rinsed

Directions

Beat together eggs, egg whites and salt.
In a wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the egg mixture; lightly scramble until partially set, but still wet. Add rice and mix to coat with eggs. Add cabbage and bamboo shoots and gluten; stir-fry until heated through. That's it, enjoy.

Makes 4 servings

Tags: bamboo, cabbage, chinese, easy, eggs, fried rice, rice, vegetarian, wheat gluten

Cauliflower and Mushroom Sticky Rice Risotto

Chuck — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:20:33 +0000

We don't make risotto very often, but when we do, Hungry Bear makes a cauliflower and mushroom risotto using sticky rice (glutinous/sweet rice). I love all things made with sticky rice, and this risotto is one of my favorite sweet rice dishes. The best part is that minimal stirring is required to make it.

The recipe is adapted from the Susanna Foo Fresh Inspiration cookbook. For the most part, we like to reduce the butter and fat in a recipe whenever possible. But we also know when not to mess with a good thing, e.g. potato salad, nicely marbled meats and dessert. The main changes Hungry Bear made to the recipe were — removing the butter, swapping out milk for chicken stock, and increasing the quantity of mushrooms and cauliflower. Before anyone boos the removal of the butter (ahem, Jane!), Hungry Bear added extra coconut cream.

In case you are wondering why our recipes always serve 6 or more, we are either cooking for a large group, making mass quantities for leftovers (Hungry Bear's favorite part) or increasing proportions to avoid the partial use of an ingredient, e.g. cauliflower and cabbage. There have been many times when we used half a head of cauliflower and the other half spoiled in the fridge before we could use it again.

Back to the risotto, the only stirring required is to mix in the mushrooms, cauliflower and chicken stock to the steamed rice. It has a great combination of flavors and textures from the earthy shiitakes, sweet cauliflower and creamy rice. Still, the rice retains a slight firmness and the coconut cream keeps the grains separated. Hungry Bear likes her sticky rice risotto without cheese, but I like the extra flavor the Parmesan adds. It's a unique twist to traditional risotto and goes wonderfully with seared scallops!

Cauliflower and Mushroom Sticky Rice Risotto Recipe

SND Note: Coconut milk separates into two layers when stored undisturbed in a can. The bottom layer is a thin milk and the top is the thicker coconut cream.

Ingredients:
2 cups sweet sticky (glutinous) rice
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut cream
12 ounces chanterelle, oyster, or shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
6 cups (1 head) cauliflower florets (1/2 inch pieces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups baby arugula or watercress leaves, washed and dried
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, soak the rice in enough water to cover for 2 to 4 hours. Drain well.

2) Prepare a steamer by placing a layer of cheesecloth in the bottom of a rack. Spread the rice in an even layer over the cheesecloth. Fill the bottom of the steamer with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place the rack on top, cover, and steam for 5 minutes; the rice will still be very firm.

3) Transfer the rice to a bowl and add the coconut cream. Mix well to separate the grains of rice. The rice can be prepared to this point up to 3 days in advance. Store in a tightly closed container, refrigerated.

4) Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is soft. Remove from heat.

5) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes to coat them with oil and heat them through; they should be barely cooked. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with a salt and pepper.

6) Add 1 tablespoon oil to saucepan. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cauliflower, along with half of the chicken stock, and cook until heated through. Add additional chicken stock to obtain desired consistency. Stir in the mushrooms. Mix in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the arugula or watercress and serve.

Makes 6 servings

[Adapted from Susanna Foo Fresh Inspiration: New Approaches to Chinese Cuisine]

Tags: cauliflower, coconut cream, fusion, glutinous rice, mushroom, rice, risotto, scallops, shiitake, sticky rice

Chinese Sticky Rice (Nuomi Fan)

Chuck — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:44:13 +0000

I love Chinese sticky rice. It contains several of my favorite ingredients — sticky rice, Chinese sausage and mushrooms. I know I'm going to have Hungry Bear's sticky rice at least twice a year, at Thanksgiving dinner and during Lunar New Year (Vietnamese/Chinese New Year) festivities. It's become a traditional dish for us on these holidays.

I really enjoy the rich flavors from the Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, oyster sauce and soy sauce that get infused into the sweet, sticky rice. Chinese-American families often serve sticky rice in place of stuffing during Thanksgiving. It's great with turkey, roasted duck or just by itself. I didn't grow up eating this dish, but I now consider it a comfort food.

Hungry Bear started making Chinese sticky rice using a recipe from Grace Young's The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. The recipe has dried scallops and shrimp in it, which takes additional time to prepare. Over the years, Hungry Bear has altered Grace Young's recipe, excluding the dried seafood, in order to save prep time. The scallops and shrimp are a little too fishy for my tastes and I prefer my sticky rice without them.

Another common ingredient in sticky rice is chestnuts, which Hungry Bear's mom often includes in her recipe. A frequent reader, Judy, told us that her aunty used bamboo shoots in her sticky rice. Next time, Hungry Bear plans on adding either chestnuts or bamboo shoots for some variety.

Until then, I've included two Chinese sticky rice recipes. The first one is Hungry Bear's and the second recipe with dried seafood is Grace Young's, in case you want all the flavors of traditional sticky rice. I need to warn you that Hungry Bear's version makes a huge amount of rice. She likes to cook in mass quantities and all recipes are bear-size, which means they are quadrupled! Hungry Bear loves leftovers, therefore the need to cook in abundance.

I'll never complain about the large quantities because there's no such thing as too much Chinese sticky rice!

Chinese Sticky Rice Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups sweet rice
2 cups jasmine rice
25 Chinese dried shiitake mushrooms
6 Chinese sausages (lop chong)
1 pound lean Chinese barbecued pork, store-bought
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) In a bowl, soak the mushrooms in warm water for about 30 minutes, until softened. In a 6-quart stockpot, wash all the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the combined sweet and jasmine rice for 1 hour in enough cold water to cover.

2) When softened, drain and squeeze dry the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Cut off and discard stems and chop the caps.

3) Chop sausage and barbecued pork and set aside separately.

4) Heat large wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add oil and Chinese sausage, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and barbecued pork, and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until heated through. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, stir to combine, remove from heat, and set aside.

5) Drain rice. Add chicken broth and enough the reserved mushrooms liquid to measure 1 cup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover and quickly scoop Chinese sausage mixture onto top of rice. Immediately cover and continue cooking the rice 25 to 30 minutes, or until broth is completely absorbed and rice is tender. Let stand 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, scallions, cilantro and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Makes about 4 quarts. Serves 18 to 20 as part of a multicourse meal.

[Recipe adapted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young]

Flavored Sweet Rice (Naw Mai Fan) Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Chinese dried scallops (gawn yu chee)
1 cup sweet rice
1/2 cup long grain rice
2 tablespoons Chinese dried shrimp
4 Chinese dried mushrooms
1 Chinese sausage (lop chong)
4 ounces Chinese barbecued pork, store-bought or homemade
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
1 1/4 cups homemade chicken broth
2 teaspoons black soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster flavored sauce
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, soak the dried scallops in about 1/3 cup cold water for 2 hours, or until softened. In a medium-sized bowl, wash all the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the combined sweet and long rice for 1 hour in enough cold water to cover. Place the shrimp and mushrooms in separate bowls. Pour about 1/4 cup cold water over each ingredient, and soak for about 30 minutes, to soften.

2) When softened, drain all the ingredients except the rice, discarding the shrimp water and reserving the scallop and mushroom liquids. Remove the small hard knob from the side of the scallops and discard. Finely shred the scallops with your hands. Chop shrimp if larger than 1/4 inch. Drain and squeeze dry the mushrooms. Cut off and discard stems and finely chop the caps.

3) Finely chop sausage and barbecued pork and set aside separately.

4) Meanwhile, heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add oil and Chinese sausage, and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add scallops and stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add the shrimp, mushrooms, and barbecued pork, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add thin soy sauce, stir to combine, remove from heat, and set aside.

5) Drain rice and place in a 2-quart saucepan. Add chicken broth and enough of the reserved scallop and mushrooms liquids to measure 1/4 cup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover and quickly scoop Chinese sausage mixture onto top of rice. Immediately cover and continue cooking the rice 25 to 30 minutes, or until broth is completely absorbed and rice is tender. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the black soy sauce, oyster sauce, scallions, and cilantro, and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 cups. Serves 6 to 8 as part of a multicourse meal.

[Recipe via The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young]

Tags: barbecued pork, bear size, chinese, glutinous rice, grace young, lop chong, mushrooms, oyster sauce, rice, sausage, shiitake, sticky rice