Kimchi Fried Rice

There are so many recipes for kimchi fried rice. This Korean staple is a delightful mix of kimchi and rice. It traditionally includes a meat along with an egg on top. I've mixed things up just a bit (what else is new!?) in this recipe, by eliminating the meat, but have remained true to the kimchi and rice. 

Ingredients: 

1 tsp olive oil

1shallot, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 cup edamame

1 tsp olive oil

1 bag precooked brown rice and quinoa

1/2 cup kimchi, squeezed to remove moisture, and chopped

2 Tbs mayonnaise

1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp butter

2 eggs, cooked, over easy or poached

1 Tbs snipped chives

1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the shallot, garlic, and ginger and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the shallot begins to crisp. Add the mushrooms, carrot, and edamame and cook for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to soften and the carrot is crisp tender. Remove the cooked vegetable to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the second tsp of olive oil to the skillet. Open the bag of rice and let the rice cook, undisturbed, for several minutes until it begins to crisp. Add the kimchi and vegetables to the rice and let everything cook together until heated through. Divide the kimchi rice between two plates. Add the butter to the pan and cook the eggs. Make the sriracha mayo while the eggs are cooking by combining the two ingredients together in a small bowl. Place one egg over each serving of fried rice. Top with a drizzle of sriracha mayo, some of the snipped shives and sesame seeds. Serve. 

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Do remember to squeeze the kimchi! Kimchi is juicy. Adding liquid to fried rice will prevent it from browning and becoming crisp. However, topping the fried rice with a runny egg is another thing. The rice is already crisped, so the runny center of the egg provides a nice contrast to the crunchiness of the rice. Enjoy!

Not my Grandma's Bean Salad

Don't get me wrong - I love my grandma's 5 bean salad. It's a classic and has been around for at least 100 years! But, I don't always have all the ingredients to make it! So, I use what I have on hand. Right now, in my garden, the beans are in full swing. I've got yellow beans, green beans, and long beans ripening. Also, the onions are filling out - not quite big enough to be a full size cooking onion, not small enough to use as a green onion, but oh, so sweet! They're perfect! Here's the bean salad recipe I came up with. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup fresh green beans

1/2 cup fresh yellow beans

1/2 cup fresh long beans

1/2 cup frozen edamame

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/4 cup minced onion

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar

1 Tbs sugar

Directions: 

Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Cut the beans into 1 or 2 inch lengths. Place all the beans, together with the edamame into the boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes, until crisp tender. Drain. Make the dressing by mixing together the oil, vinegar and sugar. Add the beans and remaining vegetables to the dressing. Chill until serving. 

I like this best when it's been chilled overnight. It will keep several days in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long!

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This has my grandma's dressing spirit at the heart of it. Sure, I changed out her red wine vinegar for rice vinegar, and I may have lessened the sugar a bit. However, it's the memory that counts! Feel free to revise old family recipes to your liking. The important thing is to honor a memory!