Why You Should Always Keep Your Leftover Steamed Rice

Rice cookers are probably one of my favorite kitchen small appliances. I own a mid-range version, an Oster 4715 Multi-Use 20-Cup (Cooked) Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, White, but it has survived my rice making for the last 10 years and is still going strong. It's survived moving four times (once shipped across states) and continues to keep on truckin'.

For our household of two, I make two cups of dry rice with 3 cups of water. The rice to water ratio is a debated issue. Some say 1 1/4 cups of water per cup of rice. Some say 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice. The 2:1 ratio is where I think you start getting on the soggier side of things. I actually like my rice to be slightly more soggy than dry, so I go with 1 1/2 cups of water. If I want drier rice, I use 1 1/4 cups.

In a household of two, 2 cups of dry rice is more than enough. I know this. I do this on purpose.

One of the secrets I learned a few years ago is to always cook a little more rice than you really need. Leftover day-old rice is the perfect ingredient to make a batch of fried rice. Try making it with fresh and all you'll end up with is a bunch of soggy, clumpy rice.

So we eat what we want and then I refrigerate the rest for use later in the week. A batch of fried rice is a good way to use up leftover vegetables, too. In this particular circumstance, I had shredded carrot, peas, onion and asparagus in the fridge.

The Before & After: White Rice Makeover

Here's where I have to apologize. I've never taken the time to measure out and write down my exact recipe for fried rice. I've been meaning to for at least a year now, but it's such a habit to just throw it all together quickly. I can't remember the last time I measured what goes into the rice. I base the recipe off of smell and taste, and that's how I know I did it right. 

While that's probably not the best method for blogging, it does make me feel a littler warm and tingly to think that's probably how my grandma cooks, too - and how her mom cooked and how my great aunt cooked, etc. But that's also how I've only successfully replicated the old family recipe for potato rolls about twice. I'll have to share that one with you sometime. It's fun to read.

Short Rib Lettuce Wraps & Dumpling Salad

This weekend's new recipe was made with slow cooked short ribs. I was lucky enough to find some good ones at the grocery store this time! My favorite way to cook short ribs is to slow cook them. The meat gets very tender after 7-8 hours of cooking and basically falls off the bone (and is easy to shred).

I used this recipe for the sauce in the Crock Pot but only used 2 lbs of short ribs. It's slightly different than the one I've used in the past. I don't think the curry flavor came out as much as I thought it would, but the flavor was still good. It's possible I just didn't use enough.

The recipe for peanut sauce made way more sauce than 2 people could eat, so I saved it to be used for peanut chicken this week.

I served the wraps with a salad recipe I found from My Korean Kitchen. Both of these recipes are also on my Pinterest board for Asian Inspired Recipes. If you follow me there, go ahead and repin them!

Making the dressing for the dumpling salad

The gochujang might be hard to find around here. You typically have to get it from an Asian grocery store. Mine is from Koreatown in NYC. It costs about $6-$7 but you'll get your money's worth, I promise.

Most of the ingredients I'm using here are Korean

The rice wine vinegar and sesame oil were both bought locally. The sesame seeds were another Asian grocery store find. You can buy them in your seasonings aisle at the generic grocery store but you'll pay an arm and a leg for them. Look in the international aisle for a cheaper version so you don't end up paying $5 for 1/2 cup of seeds.

Preparing veggies for the salad

Mango salsa - mango, lime juice, cilantro, green onion, jalapeno, salt

Ready to make lettuce wraps - peanut sauce not shown

I decided to add some alfalfa sprouts to our wraps. I really like sprouts and thought they were a good addition.

The final result - I'd say the photo did not do it justice!

Short Rib Asian Tacos

Because tacos. Seems like a good enough reason, doesn't it? While there's probably always time for tacos, I'd have to say the variety and quality of ones in my town are pretty bland. There's the generic "Mexican" restaurants, the local Taco Bell, and the gas station MTO types (which I imagine are worse than Taco Bell). Don't get me wrong, I eat MTO. Breakfast all the time, man. There's a few random places serving tacos, but they're honestly the equivalent of something I'd piece together when I'm short on time and pretty much out of groceries.

In a way, the food culture (or lack thereof) around here has had both a positive and negative impact on my food experiences. Because of the lack of diversity, it's forced me to seek out learning to do things myself. And maybe this wouldn't be as much of a problem if I was really into PA Dutch food and generic chain restaurant food...but that's not me (hog-maw is SO weird). Can't find kimchi? Okay, then I'll learn how to make it myself. I'm more of a "teach a man to fish" person as opposed to a "buy a man a fish" person, if that makes any sense.

So back to tacos. 

I looked for a unique recipe I could easily make using ingredients I have easy access to. The recipe needed to be something different, not "Pour packet of seasoning on meat." Let's call it reasonably unique I like recipes where I can contribute by making sauces, seasonings, marinades and not ones where I spend most of the time opening jars and boxes. I think doing it yourself gives you a sense of what's in the food you eat and how those ingredients all work together. You'll both respect and understand food more. 

I decided this recipe was the most reasonably unique, and, boy, was it a winner. 

I made a few adjustments to the sauce because I bought 2 lbs of short ribs instead of 6 lbs. I added some extra red pepper flakes and a little extra brown sugar (based on the adjusted amounts). The meat cooked on low the first 2 hours but I decided to turn up the heat to high for the next 5, making sure the meat stayed in the sauce and juicy while it cooked. By the time I was ready to shred it, the meat fell off the bones. 

I stirred in a little Bibigo Hot and Spicy sauce after reheating the meat for leftovers the next day. Leftover meat is never quite as juicy, and this was a nice touch.

Tri-colored carrot slaw heaven -
Carrots and cilantro purchased at the local market

The carrot slaw is great, and I was lucky enough to come across a tri-color pack of carrots at market, which suited the recipe perfectly. I also served the taco with a bit of lettuce and Kewpie mayo. Corn tortillas were much better than using flour ones (just an FYI).

I am thoroughly happy with the results, and can't wait to eat them again soon!

First Batch - Flour tortilla and sriracha mayo

Second Batch - Lettuce and Kewpie mayo on corn tortilla (the real winner)

A First Attempt at Bubble Tea

Chocolate bubble tea

A few weeks ago, I found some tapioca pearls in the Asian food section of Weis. These aren't the large pearls you typically find in bubble tea but I figured for a few dollars, I may as we'll give it a try.

Bubble tea comes made a variety of ways, if you aren't familiar. It can be made with either tapioca pearls or boba and can be made with regular sweetened or unsweetened tea, milk tea or even blended. My favorite is milk tea with tapioca. 

Today is really supposed to be a cleaning day. My bf is coming back from his month-long trip on Friday, and there's some cleaning I've been slacking on. Luckily, today is a beautifully sunny (yet still freezing) day and I woke up semi-early (for someone who doesn't have kids, that's 8 a.m.). 

I shoveled the driveway and walkway, took the dog for a quick walk, started laundry, and made a quick breakfast of apple sage vegan sausage and eggs. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I mostly find sausage iffy at best. Hotdogs are same if not more iffy-ness. There's something gross to me about liquified meat being shoved into casing and served as something anyone should eat.

After finally sitting down for a few minutes, I decided this was the bubble tea experiment day. I used a recipe I found on Pinterest for the milk/sugar/tea guideline. The recipe called for coconut milk (like from a can), but I chose to use something less rich, the almond/coconut milk blend from the refrigerator section.

Tapioca pearls and chocolate tea

To prep, I boiled 1/2 cup of tapioca pearls in a medium pot of water for 10 minutes. I removed from the stove and let set for another 5 minutes. I think scooped the pearls out and let them cool in a bowl. 

Cooked pearls

I brewed and sweetened my tea (loose leaf) and chilled it in the freezer for a few minutes while the pearls were setting. When the pearls were ready, I scooped them into the tea and added milk.

All in all, not difficult. I'll be interested to try different favors of tea. I think next time, I will made my tea further in advance so it is cold instead if cool. Maybe I'll try adding some coconut milk creamer to try a richer flavor, although just the milk was good, too. 

Pad Thai

Snow days are the best days to hang out at home and cook food. If you know snow is coming, take the opportunity to stop at the grocery store or market and get some ingredients to try a new recipe!

Don't mind all the people going nuts trying to stock up on five gallons of milk (I've seen this) and a 48 pack of toilet paper. Try to avoid them if you can. If you can't avoid them, at least have a good laugh.

Yesterday, I ventured to the office around 7 a.m. but decided (thanks to news updates from friends) I wasn't sticking around any longer than 11 a.m. Weather reports sounded sketchy and driving conditions were getting worse as the morning progressed. Only by the time I got home did I realize...I probably should have went to the store and prepared for this.

If you know me, you know I was certainly not staring into an empty fridge (we DO have 5 jars of olives). There was plenty of meat and fruits and vegetables, but I was having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with it all. This was the perfect time to cook something amazing and I was staring at carrots, celery and about a dozen hot sauces.

I spent about a half hour wrangling the pets and watching Travel Channel before it dawned on me. Pad Thai. Some friends had recently stocked me with a block of tamarind paste and I figured I had most of the other ingredients or could at least do some sort of make-shift version.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Although I've used a few different recipes, I really liked this one. Not all use tamarind (which I like to use), but I suggest using a recipe that calls for it.

I made a few modifications: I did not use cabbage but I cooked bok choy instead. I did not have cilantro or chicken stock (due to lack of planning). I only used one piece of chicken; two seemed like a lot.

For the sauce

For the pan and garnish

Seasoned chicken - soy sauce and cornstarch

Finished and garnished!

The recipe worked out great! I used the bok choy for a garnish and topped with sprouts, julienned carrot, chopped peanuts and a lime wedge. The leftovers are good, too. I'm eating some as I write!

Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

This post is appropriately timed as my boyfriend and I were out purchasing a Crock-Pot when he spotted a selection of deep fryers.

Boyfriend: "Ooh. What is..."
Me: "No."
Boyfriend: "A deep fryer!"
Me: "NO."

Wanting to escape the terror that is Wal-Mart, I was lucky enough to find the Crock-Pot aisle and we escaped the trip without a deep fryer. However, when we arrived at the party later that day (with Crock-Pot of yum), there was...a deep fryer.

There are a few reasons for me to dodge the deep frying bullet:

1. Deep frying is dangerous. I am clumsy and accident-prone (one time I cut myself on BREAD). My boyfriend almost set his house on fire grilling bacon. Those seem like good reasons.

2. Deep frying makes your house smell like a fryer. This isn't the smell of fries or cheesesticks. It's the smell of OIL coating everything in your house.

3. I think owning a deep fryer sets you on the edge of...'Merica. Hey, let's deep fry food that's already extra fattening (Twinkies, Snickers, cheesecake).


And that brings us to egg rolls. Baked. Not fried.
Recipe adapted from fortheloveofcooking.net

Ingredients:

2 tsp. sesame oil
2 C savoy cabbage - chopped
2 C shredded carrots
1 Can chopped water chestnuts
1 C mung bean sprouts
2 green onions - chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
3-4 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1 package of egg roll wrappers - usually found with produce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray baking sheet or bottom of baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium skillet heat sesame oil, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add cabbage, carrot, water chestnuts and green onion. Add soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir. Cook until softened but not soggy!

Cooked cabbage, carrot, water chestnuts and onion

Place spoonful of cabbage mixture on wrapper. Add bean sprouts. Carefully roll egg rolls. Place on sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Flag wrapper with cabbage mixture and bean sprouts

Bake about 8 minutes. Egg rolls should be golden brown and crispy. Turn egg rolls. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes.

Baked to golden brown on both sides

Slice or serve whole. I prefer to slice mine in half on a diagonal to make them more bite sized and crowd-friendly! They work great as appetizers with dipping sauce. You could serve with a ginger, peanut or ponzu dipping sauce - or all three!

Sliced and ready to eat!

Spring Rolls - My Boyfriend Can and So Can You - No, Really, You Can.

Recently, I saw an article about how food companies categorize people by the texture of food they eat. They had the basic categories broken down into Chewers, Crunchers, Smooshers and Suckers. This article stated that companies are marketing food to consumers by "mouth feel", claiming texture is as important as taste.

"Why should I care and what does this have to do with spring rolls" you may ask.

Good question.

I get hungry for spring rolls because I am a Chewer. I like chewy food, and spring rolls just happen to be a delicious fit to this category. That's the number one reason I crave spring rolls. I prefer not to eat them fried because then they lose that perfect chew the wrapper has.

The great thing about all this, if you're a spring roll fan, is that they're very easy to make. They just require some preparation. Assembling and rolling is simple for anyone who has ever rolled a burrito...ever. Even my boyfriend, who claims he cannot cook, found success assembling and rolling his first spring roll...ever. So there you have it.

And here's the photo to prove it!

"What do I need?"

Cooked chicken thighs are my
favorite. These are seasoned
with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper
ginger and coriander.

What you need to make spring rolls is mostly based upon your tastes. What do you want to put in your roll? Chicken? Shrimp? Carrot? Bacon? Think about it. If you use cucumber or carrot (or any crunchy vegetable), I suggest you julienne them. Yes, I have used bacon. No, I don't like bacon. But, yes, I know other people do.

The one thing you definitely need is the wrapper. The rest is up to you. I buy my wrappers at Weis in the Queensgate shopping center. I buy the Vietnamese ones that say "Good for Restaurant." I'm not kidding. I don't know if they're "good for restaurant" but they're good for me.

The other thing you probably (but not necessarily) want to have is cellophane noodles or thin rice noodles. I like cellophane noodles because they're more chewy. To prepare these, you boil water and drop in the noodles for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the water immediately and place in a bowl. Keep the hot water. You'll need it for the wrappers.

"Okay, I'm ready now."

So now that you have all your ingredients prepared, it's time to start rolling. Spring roll wrappers are thin and brittle but soften quickly in hot water. The key is to have the water be hot or very warm or else the wrappers will not get sticky, meaning they won't stay wrapped.

Here is one dry spring roll wrapper. 

To soften the wrappers, I like to have 2 things: 1. a pie pan and 2. a medium to large sized plate. I pour my hot water into the pie pan and use the plate for rolling. To soften the wrapper, I carefully dip it into the hot water and turn it to evenly wet the entire wrapper. What you want is to have the wrapper softened so it is pliable but not too soft that it gets soggy. It will continue to absorb some of the water as it sits on the plate and you add your ingredients. This is probably the trickiest part because the wrapper will tend to curl or fold up on itself.

Softening the wrapper in a pie plate

Once the wrapper is soft, place it on the plate and add the ingredients. I like to add mine is a specific order that I've found to roll the easiest for me. You may find another way to do yours that works just for you. I like to add noodles first, then crunchy vegetables, followed by meat, adding the lettuce/greens last. Personally, I add the lettuce last because I use shredded, which packs down nicely and keeps it all together as I roll. If you use leaf lettuce or mint leaves, you may want to add that first.

This one doesn't have noodles,
but I usually put them closest to me
(below the carrots) when I do.

"Ready to Roll!"

Once you have all your ingredients arranged how you like them, you are ready to roll. Carefully, fold in both sides (left and right) and start rolling from the edge closest to you. This is what I mean that it's just like rolling a burrito. You want to make sure it rolls snugly so everything stays packed in. Just be careful you don't wrap too tightly and rip a hole in the wrapper. It happens. If the spring roll wrapper seems very sticky, just wet your fingers in the hot water, and that should help.

One of the reasons you want the water to be hot is so that when you are rolling, the wrapper sticks to itself and stays sealed, holding all the ingredients neatly inside.

The spring rolls will be best eaten fresh. They do keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about a day, but they will start to dry out and the texture will be different. As they dry out, the wrappers will start to crack or the rolls will stick to each other and the wrappers will tear. Because they are so quick and easy, I prefer to always make and eat them fresh.

Here I served them with peanut sauce and ginger sauce.
These are actually the ones that my boyfriend and I made last week!

Give it a try and let me know how they turn out!

If you need help, tweet me at @korea_has_seoul.