Corned Beef Fried Rice

Source:  Tan Hsueh Yun, recipe published in Sunday Times (Lifestyle section) dated 28 Nov 2010


To serve fried rice dish, its preparation work started one day before serving.  For best result, excess moisture from steamed rice must be lost before frying.  This is achieved by storing the rice in refrigerator overnight.


Serves 4

Ingredients:
Lemongrass, 4 stalks
Kafir lime leave, 8 pcs
Long grain rice, 3 cups
Water, to cook rice, 3 cups
Red onion, peeled and finely chopped, 1 unit
Long bean, discard both ends and cut into ½ cm sections, 8 pcs
Red fresh chilli, diagonally sliced, 4 pcs
Corned beef*, roughly chopped, ~400g size, 1 can
Cooking oil, 1 tbs
Salt, to taste

Garnish:
Coriander, chopped, 4-6 sprigs
Lime, halved, 2 units

* Can substitute with other canned meat, e.g. luncheon meat



Method:
1. Cook rice one day before serving the fried rice. 
(a) Prepare lemongrass.  Remove the fibrous top part, leaving ~10 cm length from root.  Peel off the tough outer layer of each stalk.  Bruised prepared lemongrass.
(b) Prepare kaffir lime leaves.  Wash and dry.  Make serveral tear in each leave.
(c) After washing rice and top with right about of water to cook rice, add in prepared lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. 
(d) Once rice is cooked, let is cool and then store in refrigerator.  This is to remove excess water from the cooked rice.  Discard the used lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.

2. Heat oil in wok over medium heat.  Add in chopped onion and stir fry 1 min till translucent.

3. Add in corned beef and break it up into small pieces during stir fry for 2-3 mins.  Add in cut long beans and stir fry 2-3 mins.

4. Add in rice and cut chillies.  Use spatula to separate the grains.  Stir fry for 3-4 mins, ensuring all ingredients are well mixed.  Add salt to taste if needed.  Off heat.



Serving:
1. Transfer to plate and decorate each with chopped coriander leaves a half lime.  Squeeze out juice and mix well with rice just before eating.

Hokkien Festive Glutinuous Rice (油饭)

Source://food.insing.com


Hokkien Festive Glutinuous Rice (油饭) is a must have item when celebrating a baby's first month birthday.  Its preparation is to first stir fry the rice in cooking oil, so that individual grain can fully absorb the aroma of ingredients used, and then follow by steaming to ensure the rice is fully cooked.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
White glutinuous rice, soaked overnight and drained, 1kg
Chinese dried mushroom, soaked, drained and sliced, 80g
Chinese sausage ( 腊肠), sliced, 200g
Dried shrimp (虾米), 200g
Shallot, peeled & sliced, 100g
Salt, to taste
Light soy sauce, to taste
Dark soy sauce, to taste
Cooking oil, for frying

Garnish:
Peanut, skinned and fried, 100gSpring onion, chopped, 1 stalk



Method:
1. Heat some oil over medium heat and fry skinned peanut till aromatic.  Dish out fried peanut and allow to drain off excess oil.  Next stir fry shallot slices in same oil till aromatic.  Dish out fried shallots and allow to drain off excess oil, before use in garnishing later.  To the same oil, add in mushroom, sausage and dried shrimp and stir fry at high heat till aromatic.

2. Add in drained glutinuous rice, and seasonings to taste.  Stir well so that rice colour is even.  Off heat.

3. Place rice mixture into 4-5 individual small containers. 

4. Prepare steamer over high heat.  Steam each batch for ~45 mins or till rice is tender.



Serving:
1. Garnish with fried peanut, fried shallot and spring onion.

Sushi Rice

Source: Videojug – Get Good At Life “How to Make Sushi Rice”

 

Ingredients:

Uncooked short grained Japanese rice, 580g (or ~3 cups)

Water, to cook rice, 780ml (or ~31/3 cups)

Vinegar mixture:

Vinegar, 110ml (or ~½ cup)

Castor sugar, 50g (or ~¼ cup)

Salt, ½ tsp

Instant dashi (= Japanese cooking stock) powder*, 1 tsp

* Can substitute with salt if dashi is not available

Method:

1.Wash rice.  Give a good rinse and swirl.  Drain off water, and give good rub to rice to remove impurities.  Repeat process till wash water is clear (~3^rd wash).

2. Prepare vinegar mixture.  Mix all ingredients and place in pan over low heat, till all sugar dissolves.  Do not let mixture boils.  Transfer to bowl and cool it down by placing over iced water.

3. Cook rice. Add water to soak rice for minimum 30 mins, or ideally for 1 hr, before start of cooking process.

(a) Using rice cooker: Cooking process same as using normal rice.  When cooked, off heat and allow rice to sit in its steam for 15 mins before lifting the cover of rice cooker.

(b) Using saucepan over fire: Cook over high heat till water boils at ~7 mins, then lower heat to simmer for 15 mins.  Off heat and allow cooked rice to remain in its steam for 15 mins, before lifting the lid.  Lid must be covered throughout whole process.

4. Transfer cooked rice to a non-metal bowl, ideally to use wooden bowl sushi-oki.  Leave out the burnt bottom, if any, in cooker/saucepan used to cook rice.  Non-metal material is preferred to minimise reaction with vinegar when mixed later.

5. Mix vinegar mixture into rice.  Sprinkle vinegar mixture over rice and fold in quickly using rice spatula (= shamoji in Japanese).  Fan rice during process.  Be careful not to smash rice when folding in the vinegar mixture.  Fanning rice will cool it and remove moisture from rice, resulting in a glossy finish.  Repeat process till most, if not all, vinegar mixture is added.  The rice should not be too wet in the end.

6. Cool rice to to room temperature before use in making sushi dishes.  If rice is still warm, cover with damp cloth to prevent rice dry out.  Do not refrigerate it.

4. Sushi rice is now ready for use.

Delicious Fried Rice

Source: Kylie Kwong "Heart and Soul"

Serves 2-4 as part of a shared meal


Ingredients:
Cooking oil to fry eggs, 5 tbsp (or 1/3 cup)
Eggs, ~60g size, beaten, 4 units
Extra cooking oil to fry others, 1 tbsp
Ginger, finely chopped, 1½ tsp
Garlic, dices, 4 cloves
Red onion, medium size, finely diced, 1 pc
Chinese sausage (腊肠)*, roughly chopped, ~100g (or ½ cup)
Sugar, 1 tsp
Shao Hsing wine, 2 tbsp
Cooked white rice, ~800g (or 5 cups)


*Can substitute with bacon


Seasoning:
Oyster sauce, 1 tbsp
Spring onion, finely sliced, 1 cup
Maggi seasoning, 3 tsp
Sesame oil, ¼ tsp


Garnish:
Spring onion, diagonally finely sliced, 2 stalks
Light soy sauce, 4 tbsp (or ¼ cup)
Red chillies, large, diagonally sliced, ½ pc



Method:
1. Fry eggs.  Heat oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.  Pour beaten eggs into wok and cook for about 1 min, lightly scrambling them and rotating the wok to ensure even cooking.  When almost cooked through, carefully remove omelette from wok with a fish slice and drain on kitchen paper.  Set aside for later use.

2. Wipe out wok with kitchen paper, add extra oil and stir-fry ginger and garlic for 1 min, or until very aromatic.

3. Add onion and stir-fry for 2 mins, or until lightly browned and tender.

4. Add Chinese sausage and stir-fry for 1 min, or until lightly browned.

5. Stir in sugar and wine, then stir-fry for 30 secs.

6. Finally, add rice, reserved omelette and seasonings.  Stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until rice is heated through.  Roughly chop omelette into smaller pieces as you stir.

Serving:
1. Divide rice between individual bowls and garnish with spring onions.  Combine soy sauce and chilli in a small bowl and serve on the side.