Posts from — January 2010

Warning: Objects On Screen Are Tastier Than They Appear

Sooo, my fav day to read the NYTimes is obviously Wednesday when the Dining & Wine section comes out. Last Wednesday, I came across this gem featured in Mark Bittman’s (LOVE) wonderful column, The Minimalist. If you are a frequent visitor to this blog (bless your patience/persistence in checking for new posts), you can probs guess that I have a sort of love affair with breakfast and eggs that borders on obsession. A friend recently referred to eggs as chicken period which I think is the most vile thing I’ve ever heard, and blasphemous to the sacred name of my dear egg.

EGGS ARE THE BEST. Srsly, I will eat them in any preparation, at any time of day. Recently I have come down with some sort of black plague which has prevented me from going to the market for food. Because I always have eggs in my fridge and rice in my cupboard, rice + eggs is my go-to meal when I’m in dire straits. It might make me feel somewhat homeless, but it is damn tasty, cheap and filling. So when I stumbled across this fancy schmancy version of my Snarky Recession Special (it has Jean-Georges’s stamp of approval!), I decided to make it ASAP. And guys, MAKE THIS IMMEDIATELY. It is so good. Like. Really. Good.

Ginger Fried Rice (recipe from the NYTimes)
Serves 4.

2 tablespoons minced garlic (like 4-5 fat cloves)
2 tablespoons minced ginger (a 1-2 in. piece of ginger)
Salt
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried (1 large leek)
4 cups day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons soy sauce

1. Place half the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the minced ginger and garlic. I didn’t have peanut oil so I just used canola and I don’t think it mattered. Also, you don’t want to make your mince too small or else your ginger and garlic will probably burn really quickly and also you want it to be a nice crunchy garnish, not powdery. I know it’s annoying but I wouldn’t recommend using a grater or a press to do this. Go with the good old fashioned chef’s knife and some elbow grease.

2. Brown the ginger and garlic until golden brown. DO NOT walk away during this, as this can go from white to dark brown burnanation in a matter of seconds. Also make sure to constantly stir once the mixture becomes golden to make sure it all browns evenly. Trust me, you don’t want to have to throw away any crunchies because you burned some. You will cry.

3. Use a slotted spoon to fish out all of the fried ginger and garlic and place on a paper towel to drain.

4. In another skillet (make sure it is big enough to hold all your rice), add the remaining oil and heat over medium low heat. Once hot, add your thinly sliced leeks. [Sidenote: I feel most people think leeks are scary because they look kind of weird. First off, you don't eat the dark green part, so the first step is to cut that part off (you should only be using the light green and white parts). Then cut the leek in half longways and rinse under running cold water to get rid of any sand and grit that might be trapped inside. Shake them off and place them on a paper towel to dry for a bit and then cut thin slices (the leek should be perpendicular to your knife so you're cutting it across instead of up and down) so that the leaks look like long green confetti.]

5. Stir the leeks to coat them evenly in the oil and saute until tender, but not browned. This should take about 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt.

6. Add the rice and raise the heat to medium. Stir to coat rice with oil and incorporate leeks. Cook until the rice starts to smell toasty but it should not be brown. Salt to taste.

7. NOW ITS TIME FOR THE EGGGG!! I used the same oil that I fried the ginger and garlic in, and just poured a bit out. If you don’t know how to cook a runny egg by now, I’m not sure you even read this blog. Try here, here or here. For this I prefer the straight up frying pan method, without even flipping the egg so that it is sunny-side up.

8. Spoon up a nice bowl of your delicious rice mixture. Flop the egg on top and throw a handful of ginger and garlic crunchies on the top (this is what makes it amazing). Drizzle with soy sauce to taste and a light drizzle of sesame oil. Go easy on the sesame oil since it’s quite strong.

The best way to eat this IMHO is to break the yolk and break up the egg while mixing the soy and sesame oil into the entire yummy fried rice mixture. Fo realz, this is heavenly. You won’t be disappointed. And its super easy! Also, I bet this would be good hangover food. Just sayin’