Informal poll time: How often do you have leftover plain cooked rice hanging around?

If you’re me, the answer is “not very often”. I have gone as far as making too much rice and trying to save some for the next day, but really, that requires more forethought than I usually have. But sometimes, the craving for fried rice is just too strong.

When you don’t have leftover rice to hand, you can always just cook some up, and then … wait for it… spread it out on an oven tray and let it dry out and cool off for about 30 minutes. You could also put it in the oven on low heat for 10 minutes to dry it out.

I love a big, steamy bowl of rice with a little bit of garlicky sriracha and salty soy sauce, and maybe something else on the side.

I wrote this for the veggies I had, but you can use these or change some up, you could always add some carrots, broccoli or kale. You can also use white rice or brown rice – whatever you’re in the mood for.

On the Counter

Serves: 4

475 g (3 cups) cooked day-old or dried rice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
6 small radishes, sliced
2 eggs
3 scallions / spring onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
250 g (8 oz) button or chestnut mushrooms (or shiitake if you have them)
srirarcha hot sauce for drizzling

What to Do

Heat the sesame oil in a wok or wide-bottomed sautee pan until it shimmers. Add in the garlic and mushrooms, and fry, stirring frequently, until mushrooms begin to soften.

Stir in the rice and fry for a minute, then make a well in the center of the rice.

Crack the eggs into the center, and start mixing the rice into the egg until the egg is mixed in.

Add in the peas, soy sauce and radishes, and cook for another 5 minute, stirring frequently, until the peas are hot.

Serve up your egg-fried rice, top it with scallions / spring onions and squirt on the sriracha.

Kimchi fried rice served with soy-glazed salmon.

One of my favorite eating spots in London is a small, practically hidden Korean restaurant near Tottenham Court Road. It’s tiny, cheap and so tasty. And, across the street is a Korean supermarket that sells all sorts of awesome imported Korean goods. My friend Soyoung always stops there when she’s in the area, and this time I was with her.

Knowing that the gentleman likes kimchi, I couldn’t resist getting a package for £3. And then using pretty much all of it within 2 days. For the uninitiated, kimchi is a fermented cabbage dish. (Sounds gross, I know.) But even for someone who doesn’t really like cabbage (me), it tastes good. It’s garlicky, a little spicy, and a bit shrimpy.

This recipe is inspired by the little Korean restaurant near TCR and Soyoung, for introducing me to that great supermarket and lots of good Korean places around town.

Serves: 4

On The Counter: 

1.5 cups (265g) cooked rice, at room temperature, preferably 1 day old. 
1 cup (175g) kimchi, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable or sesame oil
1 scallion (spring onion) chopped
soy sauce to taste

What To Do:  

Heat oil in a wok or sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. 

Add chopped kimchi to oil, stir and fry for 3-4 minutes, until kimchi is hot and sizzling.

Stir in rice, breaking up any clumps. Mix to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, until well incorporated and just turning crispy. Add soy sauce if desired. 

Crack eggs on top of rice and mix into the rice. Keep stirring until the eggs are well incorporated and cooked through, about 4 minutes. 

Top with chopped scallion greens and serve! 

One day I might try to make my own kimchi, but for now, I’m going to stick with the good stuff, direct from Korea.

There are two methods to making peanut sauce: the traditional way, and the peanut butter way. On a Wednesday night at 7 p.m., the peanut butter method will usually win. Not to say it isn’t a good way; it’s still more DIY than buying peanut sauce, and it tastes better, too. One day, though, I will tackle peanut sauce made from peanuts.

I prefer to do things from scratch when I can. It’s usually healthier, probably tastier and gives me a much bigger sense of accomplishment. Sometimes I do it in stages (like with peanut sauce); it’s a good way to learn the basics about a complex thing without spending a lot of time processing peanuts, for example.

This is a veggie stir-fry, as my dining companion for the evening doesn’t eat meat. In the past, I’ve done this with both chicken and pork, which, when cut into strips about 1/3 of an inch thick and 1.5 inches long, requires about as much time as the peppers. (That is to say, put them in at the same time.) We were both happy with the veggie version, though I do understand that this might be considered an abomination to some. (Veggies need love too!)

The nice thing about stir-frys, besides that they’re one-pot meals, is that there is a lot of potential variety. I went with veggies that you’re more likely to find in (westernized?) Thai food, but luckily, I had enough time and foresight to shop with this in mind. Usually when I’m making a stir-fry, it’s from whatever I have hanging around in the fridge.

Peanut sauce is pretty amazing, and is pretty high on my list of sauces that are clean-the-plate delicious. There’s never any left when I make it, but you can use it on sandwiches, with plain noodles or as a marinade.

On an unrelated note, I think I need to sort out the lighting when I’m cooking-for-blog. I definitely took these pics after sundown, and the lighting in my kitchen just doesn’t seem to be cutting it. I wonder if it’s time for some new toys…

Serves: 4

On the Counter:

for the peanut sauce:

1/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter
2 tsp (12 ml)soy sauce
1 tbsp (18 ml) brown sugar (leave this out if your PB is sweetened)
1 tbsp (18 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 ml) water (for a thicker, more indulgent sauce, use 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup water)
1 clove garlic, crushed
crushed peanuts

for the stir-fry:

240g (1/2 lb) whole wheat medium-thickness noodles
150g (1.5 cups) sugar snap peas, cut into halves
100g (1 cup) baby corn, cut into in halves
1 to 1.5 bell peppers, seeded and diced (2 colors better than 1!)
100g (1 cup) quartered mushrooms (I prefer baby bella or chestnut)
1 fresh red chili, chopped
optional: 300g (1/2 lb) lean pork or chicken breast, sliced into 1/3in x 1.5in strips
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp (36 ml) sesame oil

What to Do:

In a saucepan, put all peanut sauce ingredients (minus crushed peanuts).
Heat the mixture on low, stirring frequently, until the peanut butter melts and all the ingredients combine.
Put the sauce aside.
It’s better if you let this sauce sit and thicken a bit. The amount of time it takes to stir-fry is enough.

In a wok or skillet, heat sesame oil on medium until it shimmers. Add peppers, meat, then garlic.
Cook (stirring frequently, or tossing if you’re skilled like that) for 2-3 minutes, or until peppers are slightly soft.
Meanwhile, boil a saucepan of water and add your noodles, cooking according to package – usually 2-3 minutes.
Add in peas and baby corn, and keep stirring, cooking for another 3 minutes.
Add in chopped chili and mushrooms, cook for 1 minute and then add in 1/2 the peanut sauce. Toss/stir to combine.
Add your cooked noodles to the stir-fry, cover with the remaining peanut sauce and combine well. Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top and…

serve!

I looove baby corn, so I take advantage of any excuse to use it in a meal. I’ve even been known to throw some in with broccoli while it’s steaming, just to snack on. Do you have any preferred stir-fry ingredients or methods?