Cooking for a Plan

This weekend, The Boston Globe published a story about my dating trials and tribulations. Yes, it’s more amusing than Fred Flintstone. And all true. I don’t want to give away the punch-line, you should read the story.

Due to space limitations, they could not publish the accompanying recipes.


Dinner for Ken
Fried Rice in general is a great to use up left-over bits of vegetables and meats. Though, it is so good, I don’t wait for left-overs to make it. And the green beans… these are spicy and delicious. 

If you're cooking for a specific meal plan, as I did for Ken, you may choose to substitute brown rice for the white rice. 

3 cups cooked rice, cooled
shrimp or chicken seasoned with salt and pepper
peanut or canola oil
2 whole eggs

2 tsp. fresh minced ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbs. fried shallots
1-2 tbs. srirachi chili sauce (depending on taste)
¼ cup shredded white cabbage
¼ cup chopped tomatoes

Sauce
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. Chinese Rice Wine
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ tbs. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

1. Combine ingredients for the sauce.

2. Heat skillet on high heat. Add 1-2 tbs. oil. Cook meat until ½ cooked. Remove meat from pan. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, but not browned (you may need to add more oil to the pan). Add ½ of the fried shallots, cabbage and tomatoes. Cook for 1 minutes more. Add rice. Break up and stir fry until slightly brown and heated through. Stir in the sauce

3. When rice is heated through and brown, and chili sauce to rice and stir.

4. Remove rice from pan and put on a serving dish. While the skillet is still hot, add more oil, and fry the eggs. Garnish rice with fried eggs and fried shallots.

Green Beans with Chilies and Lime

1 lb. Green Beans, snipped
1 cup bean sprouts
½ head of shreaded green cabbage

Dressing
2 tbs. Fried shallots
1 tbs. oil
2 tbs. chopped garlic
1 large chili, seed and diced
1 bird’s eye chili, diced
3 lime leaves, finely chopped
1 ½ inch kencur or ginger
½ tsp. Sugar
salt, pepper and lime juice to taste

1. Heat a large skillet, add oil. Add garlic, kencur and chilies and cook until the mixture becomes aromatic, about 2 minutes.

2. Add green beans and cabbages and saute, stirring frequently, until green beans are bright green

3. Add sugar and adjust seasoning to taste with salt pepper and lime juice.

4. Toss green beans with bean sprouts and fried shallots

Comments

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Do you prefer long grain rice for this? More often I have Nishiki rice left from a big batch Ive made in my rice cooker, and that makes good fried rice if you use it cold rather than straight from the cooker.

[noble pig]

I love this! Fried rice is just one of m favorites.

[Julia]

Lydia -- I think the key is to use leftover, cold rice. For me, that usually means brown rice or jasmine. Sounds like the Nishiki works great for you too.