Fried Rice II [Recipe]

As discussed in the above post, here’s my take on The Great Fried Rice, using key principles from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen.

I’m a convert to her key principles – cold cooked rice; fish sauce; lap cheong / char siew.  I’ve then done my own thing to a certain extent – I mean, fried rice is still fried rice.  Unless you’re on Top Chef or something equally m,ad and pretentious, the most pleasurable thing about the dish is it’s simplicity and tastiness.

In this house we like to add shredded cooked chicken, vegetables, sometimes even small prawns if we’re feeling extravagant, and shredded egg omelette.  We also like it spicy, so lots of chilli and ginger, or the use of one of my chilli pastes, as well as sloshes of rice wine and just a bit of soy sauce.  Oh and we’re garlic freaks too …

My humble apologies for the lack of times [stir fry 2 minutes, et al]; I’m more of an intuitive cook and go by taste and smell for how much longer something needs to be cooked at what temperature adjustment.  Also this dish is – like other stir-fry dishes, noodles, etc – a continuous process of adding, stirring, combining.  Trust the nose and taste buds - and tummy rumbling and drooling. 

Char Siew [Chinese BBQ Pork]

Char siew aka cha siu aka xa xiu [in Vietnam] is a truly wonderful creation.  A cut of pork, preferably belly pork but you can also use shoulder or fillet, is marinaded in brown sugar, rice wine, five spice powder and other condiments / flavourings then roasted until done, with a slightly charred, caramelised crust and deliciously tender, melting meat and fat within.

The wonder of char siew is that as well as being utterly delicious – addictive even – is it’s versatility.  It can be used in fried rice and noodle dishes, over rice cooked in stock a la Hainanese Chicken Rice with sauce dishes of sweet chilli sauce and soy-ginger, in rice paper wraps with salad and herbs, and of course on it’s own as a snack or additional dish in a larger multi-course meal.

Sausage and Vegetable Frittata

This is a great recipe either to use leftovers or start from scratch and produce whatever you want for either a hearty dinner for two [there will still be leftovers!] or light lunch with salad.  It is delicious cold the next day.  You could easily make this totally vegetarian; the addition of mushrooms is particularly good; or make with just one or two main ingredients [eg zucchini and red capsicum]. 

Hu Tieu Bo Vien [Vietnamese Meatball Noodle Soup]

This is a delicious meal in a bowl noodle soup – like Bun Rieu et al it’s one of the group I call “Mesocosm Soups” as there’s a whole world in the bowl;  noodles, meats or seafood, vegetables, herbs, spices.  Incredibly yummy and rich with different layers of textures and flavours.  Pretty healthy too!

Salmon Goi Cuon [Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Salmon]

Goi Cuon are Vietnamese rice paper rolls filled with poached pork and prawns, sundry herbs and other grated or shredded vegetables, and [precooked] rice vermicelli noodles.  The Vietnamese dipping sauce, nuoc cham, is served with these and many other street and market foods. In this variation I substituted the pork and prawns for salmon fillet, sautéed in a teriyaki/caramel type sauce then flaked.

Nuoc Cham [Vietnamese Dipping Sauce]

Nuoc Cham is the ubiquitous dipping sauce and condiment of Vietnam.  Made of nuoc mam – the fermented sauce made of fish, which appears in most Vietnamese dishes and always set out on tables – chillies, garlic, lime juice and sugar, it is used to dip rolls of noodles, grilled meat, crepes and all sorts of other snacks and foods wrapped in lettuce and/or rice paper.

Leek and Potato Soup [Potage Parmentier]

I adore all forms of Potage Parmentier –  Leek and Potato Soups and others in that genre.  Easy, quick and simply scrumptious.  I like my L&P to be very green, very smooth and thin [like thin cream]; nothing worse than a thick floury lumpy bland white mass. 

For a Potage Bonne Femme: as per this recipe with the inclusion of 1 large or two medium sweet carrots – not woody and old ones - peeled and chopped finely.  Add with the rest of the vegetables. This gives an orangey colour and a sweeter taste.  Yummy.  Other root vegetables can be added depending on taste – a Potage Bonne Femme basically refers to any homey vegetable soup made with cheap but nutritious root vegetables.

Chinese Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup

Very easy, with a little bite due to the chillies and ginger – I often increase amounts to really get the sinuses going and warm diners up in the winter, it’s up to personal preference.  Does not lend itself to freezing, but lasts up to three days in the fridge and seems to get even better!  You may need to add a little water to dilute soup as you get to the end.

For a heartier meal, you could add some cooked rice vermicelli to the diners’ bowls before ladling in the soup.

Laksa Lemak - Singapore Spicy Coconut Milk and Seafood Noodle Soup

This is another of my ultimate favourite “desert-island” dishes - Singapore Spicy Coconut Milk Soup with Seafood and Noodles - a meal in a bowl that is spicy and soothing and full of interesting flavours and textures.

The “authentic” method would be to pound all the ingredients for a spice paste plus candlenuts together in a mortar and pestle, but I simplify by having home-made red curry paste in my fridge/freezer, and then add the crushed macadamia nuts [to substitute for candlenuts which aren't exactly readily available outside of Singapore/Indonesia] and additional garlic etc separately [you won't go to hell if you use store-bought curry pastes either but home-made does taste miles better … ].

I’ve made this equally successfully with two or three chicken breast fillets, diced, when seafood isn’t available [either for economic or marketing reasons].

Thai Red Curry Paste [Kaeng Phed]

This is an incredibly easy and versatile recipe; it makes a delicious flavour base for use in curries, soups, stir-fries, whatever.  Sure, you can buy curry pastes at the shop, but they are full of preservatives and are very harsh and un-subtle in flavour. 

I tend to double, or even triple the recipe so I always have tubs of Red Curry Paste in my fridge and freezer [and my family and friends beg and bribe for their very own jar].