Tag Archives: quick

Sriracha Fried Rice

Who isn’t a sucker for an easy weeknight meal? *silence thunders back* Right. Some evenings there’s just no energy available with which to crimp little ravioli packets that end up in the trash, or measure out what feels like a million and a half spices for a complexly flavored Etouffée stew. Sometimes I don’t want to cook–I just want to eat.

(By the way, you should totally make that stew–but maybe over the weekend.)

On nights like that, this is the kind of recipe I flee to for help. In fact, last Monday night when The Sickness was starting to descend on my head, sinus, and throat, I said You’re my only hope, Sriracha Fried Rice! And the Sriracha Fried Rice came through for me. The flavors in this little tossed-together dish are simple but good. Based on this original (again found via Tasty Kitchen, the fount that never stops giving), a bowl of this hits the ‘comfort food’ buttons in my soul. It’s not a show-stopper, but it’s a satisfying, homey meal that makes my stomach smile.

When I make fried rice, normally I incorporate the eggs into the dish, frying up an omelet and then breaking it up into the rice. However, this variation with fried eggs on top has me charmed. I’m never one to turn down a perfectly over-easy egg with a beautiful, sunny, runny yolk.

One two three hit it!

Ingredients

 (Serves 2)

4 TBS peanut oil, plus 1 to fry the eggs

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup cabbage, chopped or shredded

1 splash Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

1 pinch sugar

2 TBS soy sauce

3 TBS sriracha

4 cups cooked, cold rice

½ tsp salt, to taste

¼ black pepper, to taste

1 tsp sesame oil

3 green onions, diced

4 eggs (2 per person)

So the mincing of the garlic, the chopping of the onion, and the chopping of the cabbage I simply leave to your imagination. Bam! Here’s the assembly, ready to go.

Don’t you love it when ingredients magically get prepped? I know I do. (Thanks baby.)

And now! Heat the 4 TBS peanut oil in a large (12’’) cast iron skillet or wok over high heat. When hot, add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn.

Add the chopped onion and continue to stir fry for about 4 minutes, until the onion is starting to get translucent.

I happen to like big chunks of onion, but if you’re averse you can feel free to mince ‘er on up. Sprinkle the onion generously with salt and pepper as it fries.

Add the cabbage and fry for a few more minutes, until the cabbage is crisp-tender.

The cabbage isn’t extremely visible in this picture because I used a bag of cabbage that I shredded months ago and then froze. In the defrosting process it got a little mushy, and proceeded to disappear into the final dish. Alas.

Once the cabbage is getting tender, sprinkle in a pinch of sugar and splash in the Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry).

No need to measure–just splash. I doubt you could over-splash even if you tried.

Cook for about 2 minutes, letting some of the alcohol cook off.

Add the soy sauce . . .

. . . and the sriracha.

Stir that good stuff around, baby!

Time to add the rice.

Note: It’s very important to use cold, refrigerated cooked rice (as opposed to hot, freshly cooked rice). The cold rice gives fried rice its delectable texture. Hmmmm–I just said ‘rice’ four times and I see no way around it. That’s an F- in composition for you! Thank you, teacher in my head. At least it wasn’t an F – -. Those are the worst.

Stir fry the rice for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like to let it sit sometimes without touching it so that the grains get crisp and browned.

Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if needed. I needed both more salt and more sugar.

Drizzle in the sesame oil and stir in the green onions (which I totally didn’t use, but only because of a refrigerator inventory misconception).

While the rice was frying, this should have been happenin’ in a separate skillet: the cookination of the eggs.

Nothing fancy: heat 1 TBS oil in a separate pan and cook the 4 eggs over easy (or however your palate demands them).

Serve the eggs immediately over the fried rice.

Oh sí, señor.

I think I need a leeeeedle bit more.

If your palate is opposed to over-easy eggs (I know you’re out there–I’m married to one) you must forgive the following picture.

I’ll make up for it with the final picture, which shows the wonderfully crispy brown grains of rice. I die.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Sriracha Fried Rice

Roasted Red Pepper Couscous with Avocado and Mozzarella

I am so pleased with this simple little recipe, a variation on this original (once again identified in my TastyKitchen perusings). It’s full of flavor. It’s simple and quick. I know I’ll be coming back to it for weeknight meals.

A few things: the avocado and mozzarella are not just garnishes; they are 100% necessary to the dish. Since I used jarred roasted red peppers (my grocery store was out of fresh ones–I wonder if Mardi Gras had something to do with that), the acidity level of the couscous with the sauce would have been too high for me to enjoy it by itself. However, once the avocado and mozzarella were stirred in, everything became balanced and beautiful, and I sighed with pleasure. I used a pinch of sugar to counteract the acidity, but if you roast your own peppers you can probably get by without.

This could work as a fun side dish to fish or chicken, or you can top it off with an egg or two and call it a meal! That’s what we did, and what we will be doing again.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 cup dry Israeli couscous
3 roasted red peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 TBS sherry or white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 TBS olive oil
1 pinch sugar, optional (especially if using jarred peppers)
1 whole avocado
1 sprinkling lemon juice
1 cup torn fresh mozzarella or bocconcini
4 fried or hard boiled eggs (optional, to make this into a full meal)

If you’ve never made Israeli couscous, you’re in for a treat. They grains are much larger than ‘regular’ couscous, and have a delightful chew to them when cooked al dente.

I think what I used may be whole wheat, but I bought it so long ago that I can’t remember.

Anyway, Israeli couscous cooks just like pasta, so let’s start off by boiling some water.

When it comes to a boil, add the couscous and cook it for about 7 minutes, until it’s al dente.

All of a sudden I’m looking at that picture and thinking “rabbit food pellets.” Ew. Try not to think that–banish it from your mind! This is not pet food. This is not pet food. Or pet, um droppings.

When it’s done, drain the couscous and pour it back into the pot.

In the meantime, grab ye the remaining ingredients.

Toss the roasted red peppers in a blender.

Examine it from a few different angles, just for the heck of it.

Toss in the peeled garlic cloves, salt and pepper . . .

. . . and the vinegar and olive oil too.

Press blend. It just needs about a minute in there, and you can stop as soon as it’s starting to get smooth. I think that leaving a little texture is quite desirable.

Also, please use a top on your blender. Don’t be like me and have a nearly explosive disaster only averted by the quick placement of the palm of your hand.

Very important step: taste the sauce and if there’s too much acidity, adjust with a pinch of sugar. The acidity will be greater if you use jarred red peppers; roasting your own will probably make the addition of sugar unnecessary. And am I ever glad that further testing is required! I love further testing.

With the heat on medium, add the sauce to the couscous and cook for about 5 minutes.

I love that fiery sunset orange color.

It will start off looking a little soupy, so cook it until the couscous passes the ‘drag’ test (when you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pot, the area doesn’t immediately fill with liquid).

Taste again and adjust the seasoning.

Cut the avocado into slivers, and sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Tear up some fresh mozzarella pieces, or simply use halved bocconcini. Lightly salt both the avocado and the cheese.

Some day I need to sing a canticle in honor of avocado. Words just can’t express my love.

Stir the avocado and mozzarella into the couscous, and serve!

I can’t emphasize enough how necessary the avocado and mozzarella are to this dish. Please believe me. They turn it from ‘meh’ into ‘mwahhahahaaa!!!’

You can make a pretty arrangement with it, but unless there’s a camera involved, it’s probably not worth it. Here’s how it really looks once you start chowing down:

Divine!

If you want to make it into a full meal, top it off with 4 hardboiled or fried eggs (2 per person). That is the absolute best way to eat it.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Roasted Red Pepper Couscous with Avocado and Mozzarella