Bacon Rice

Ingredients:
5 slices thick cut bacon

for the omelet:
1 green onion, chopped (green parts only)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
canola oil

For the rice:
1 cup sushi rice*
a couple drops sesame oil
sesame seeds

For the Chinese broccoli:
4-5 stalks Chinese broccoli (gai lan), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or kecap manis
1-2 tablespoons oyster sauce


To serve:
light soy sauce or kecap manis
extra chopped green onion

Directions:
For the rice:
Make the rice according to package instructions but adding a couple drops of sesame oil and some sesame seeds to the water. This time I used the liquid leftover from rehydrating the mushrooms for the omelet for a little extra flavor instead of water.

For the omelet:
Cover dried mushrooms with hot water for 20 minutes, then squeeze the liquid out and cut into thin strips. In a small bowl, beat eggs with the sesame oil and the green onions. Cook like an omelet in a large hot skillet, tilting to spread the egg mixture across the surface of the pan, about 2 minutes. When the top of the omelet is almost set, flip the omelet and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Remove to a plate and roll the omelet into a tight coil then slice it into thin, even strips. It should then uncoil, leaving you with long strips of egg.


For the Chinese broccoli:
Heat the oil in a wok. Stir fry the garlic then add the Chinese broccoli. Stir fry until the greens are starting to wilt, then stir in the soy sauce and oyster sauce.


Meanwhile: Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Drain onto paper towel-lined plates then cut into small pieces. Set aside.

To serve: toss the cooked rice, bacon, Chinese broccoli and omelet together. Drizzle with soy sauce. Sprinkle with green onion. EAT!


*I like Koshi rice which is really tasty Japanese variety called Koshihikari grown here in the US, but any good quality sushi rice will do.


Yield: 2-4 servings

My thoughts:

This recipe grew out of Matt's memory of an high school friend mentioning that she would eat bacon rice for breakfast. At the time he thought it was odd but once he told me about it, we realized that it actually sounded kind of good. We weren't entirely sure what was in it so we came up with this, a sort of pan-Asian un-fried rice. The very few mentions of bacon rice I could found after we made if for the first time were mostly for Japanese American homestyle bacon fried rice or of visits to "bacsilog" -bacon, egg & garlic fried rice- stalls in the Philippines. Frankly, I am not sure if fried rice is quite what I want to start my day off with. My version is slightly more dressed up and I bet, a bit fresher tasting. Despite the bacon, this recipe yields a decidedly non greasy meal, especially if you use thick, center cut bacon which generally is high in flavor but lower in fat and then thoroughly drain the slices.

Another pro in the un-fried column is that despite our 3x+ a week consumption of sushi rice, I almost never have leftover rice. Making the rice the day I actually want to eat it, rather than having to think ahead and make it the day before so I can make fried rice, is much easier and by the time the rice is done, all of the other components should be ready.

While we eat this more often than I'd care to admit, I never thought I'd post the recipe. Bacon rice what we make when I am too tired to come up with something new and/or am tired of photographing everything that comes out of the kitchen. It's made up entirely of ingredients we pretty much always have on hand and is really quick to put together. Despite its undisputed deliciousness, I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in an actual recipe. I changed my mind after mentioning making it a couple times on Twitter and I was overwhelmed with recipe requests. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, bacon is always a hit!

So here it is. Written out it looks a little complicated but it really just a bunch of little steps that can pretty much be completed at the same time for a meal that takes approximately 30 minutes to make. We like to have it as a weeknight dinner or for a weekend breakfast/brunch before heading out to a busy day. Consider yourself forwarded, once you make it for the first time you will want to make it again and again.


A few notes:
I like to make it with some vegetables because it makes the dish into more of a complete meal but if you are in a hurry or want to serve this for breakfast (and are vegetable adverse in the AM) you can leave them out.

You can also vary the vegetables. I love Chinese broccoli so I used that but it is also tasty made with other leafy greens like baby bok choy, Shanghai cabbage. tatsoi or even spinach, prepared in the same way.

Other variations: Add some chopped shrimp to the omelet. Add some cubed tofu or fresh mushrooms to the vegetable mix. Using the kecap manis (a palm sugar-sweetened soy sauce) will give you a sort of sweet-smoky-salty bacon rice that is an interesting variation on what we typically make.

Cold Black Rice Noodle Salad with Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:
13 oz black rice noodles
1/2 lb snow peas
1/2 lb broccoli florets
3-6 bunches tat soi, cut into 1 inch wide strips
6 dried shiitaki mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced thinly
1 bunch green onions, sliced

for the dressing:
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch knob ginger, grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds


Directions:
Cook the noodles according to package instructions, keeping care to stir frequently so they do not clump together. Meanwhile, steam the snow peas, broccoli and tat soi. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside. Rinse the noodles in cold water then drain. Place in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Add the vegetables and mushrooms and stir to evenly distribute. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Yield: about 4-6 servings

My thoughts:

When I found these black rice noodles I immediately started thinking of what high contrast foods I could pair with it. I finally decided to make a cold noodle salad. The noodles have a almost nutty flavor and really absorbed the flavor of the sauce without losing its own character. I made them as a side dish for dinner last night with the idea that we would eat what was left for lunch today. You know what? While we enjoyed them immensely last night, I think they are even better today; the flavors really came together and the vegetables stayed nice and crunchy.

Note: If you cannot find black rice noodles, regular, thin rice noodles or even somen could be substituted but the texture and flavor of the noodles will be different. Additionally, 3 bunches of baby bok choy could be substituted for the smaller tat soi.

Miso Soup

Ingredients:
4 1/4 cups water
4 oz extra firm tofu, diced
.5 oz bonito flakes
2 2-inch squares kombu
1/4 cup miso paste* dissolved in an equal amount of water
3/4 cup baby bok choy or seaweed cut into manageable strips


Directions:
At no point do you want the water/soup to come to a full boil. Watch your soup carefully. Simmer kombu in the water in a medium pot. Bring to almost a boil, the water should be rippling. Remove the kombu. Add the bonito flakes**, return it to a high simmer for 5 minutes, then skim out the bonito. You have just made the simple dashi (broth) that is the base of miso soup. Add the cubed tofu and greens. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved miso and evenly distribute it. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, allow to cool for one minute then serve.

Optional: garnish with green onions or garlic chives.

Yield: 4-6 servings



*Normally we use Shiromiso or "white" miso, but this time I used Akamiso or "red" miso. They taste slightly different from each other but both are commonly used to make miso soup.
**Optional, add a few dehydrated shiitake mushrooms at this point and remove them when you skim out the bonito then add them back in when you add the miso.

My thoughts:

Miso soup is so simple I almost hesitated to post the recipe. However, I have gotten a lot of requests for a recipe for miso soup so the last time we got sushi, I made some homemade miso soup and actually measured out my ingredients so I could share it with you. I don't do anything too radical but I do like to make my own simple broth (AKA dashi, which is a great base for a lot of Japanese cooking) instead of using instant dashi powder and I am of the "don't let it boil" school of miso soup-making. I find a high simmer (think ripples, not bubbles) yields the best flavor.

Like I said, miso soup is easy to make but it does require a few very specific ingredients. I have had no problem finding miso paste (which, incidentally, keeps for months in the refrigerator if tightly sealed), bonito flakes, kombu (a variety of kelp, you need it for making sushi rice , so it is worth keeping on hand and also has a long shelf life) at pretty much any Asian market (even Safeway sells most of it) but finding good quality wakame seaweed is sometimes an issue. I frequently just use some other kind of green: baby bok choy, kai choy, tat soi etc instead. I also like to heat up any leftovers for breakfast the next day. It isn't quite as tasty as it is freshly made but not bad.