“Rice is the seed of
the monocot plants Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most
important staple food for a large part of the world's human population,
especially in Asia and
the West Indies.” - Wikipedia
And since I’m a proud Asian, half-Filipino and
half-Chinese in particular, rice has always been and will always be my principal food. It is true that most Filipinos are accustomed
to welcoming the day with a bun or two of a hot pandesal over a cup of joe, which they say make a good breakfast. I,
on the other hand, take delight in filling my belly with a cup of rice for a
day’s start. Be it pancit canton, hotdog, spam, or whatever canned preservative
breakfast foodstuff you have in mind, I will definitely require cooked grains served in my plate along with it. So yea, you just shook hands with a
rice person. J
It was at the age of 13 when I began learning how to cook
rice under my mom’s supervision. And if my memory serves me right, we didn’t
have a rice cooker back then. (Or maybe
we did but mom would rather store it in her
save-this-kitchenware-for-a-special-occasion cabinet, if you know what I mean.)
Like any other chef neophyte, I had my own fair share of unsuccessful,
mostly disastrous attempts in perfecting a well-done rice. Quite an experience to tell my future kids actually. Instances
wherein the aftermath is a burnt couldron because I was too engrossed watching
cartoons that I forgot about what I was cooking were the common scenarios. (I blame Sailormoon for that.) The
excessive dispense of water or sometimes the opposite, another story.
However, after added years of practice and basically
doing, imho, a girl’s chief household
chore, I am now bragging to smithereens that my rice-cooking skill went up a few more big notches high. So whether it’s plain rice you want or mixed fried rice you need
to spice up your meal, I will gladly share with you my own recipe and expertise
for that matter.
Here goes:
Plain Rice
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The basic in all cooking course. You just have to match the number of cups of rice to the number of cups of water you are to use. Nevertheless, it is imperative to always consider the variety of rice you are to prepare for that will tell you how much water you will need in achieving a well-done cookery. And since all of us have been using the rice cooker, or so I believe, I shall spare you the boiling to simmering details then. A quick tip though, you can always put some pandan leaves as you cook it to give a pleasant aroma upon serving.
Garlice Fried Rice or Sinangag
Appealing more to the Filipino taste, this traditional
fried rice or sinangag is the easiest
way to prepare for breakfast. All you need to have is your leftover rice or bahaw as we call in the native tongue
and your minced garlic. Again, the number of garlic cloves you are to use
depends on the amount of rice you are to cook. First, heat the pan. Tip a
spoonful or two of cooking oil or best, butter; then upon searing, fry the
minced garlic in it until golden brown. Afterwards, pour the leftover rice and
mixed it well with your fried garlic until evenly cooked. A pinch of pepper and
salt and it will guarantee your dish the flavor it exactly needs! You may also opt
to use other alternatives such as ajinomoto
and magic sarap for added flavoring. Add
some basil leaves too and you’ll be close to having an Italian feast! J
Mixed Fried Rice or Yang Chow Rice
Growing up in a family inclined with Chinese customs,
this by far, is my choice of fried rice. From homemade preparations done by my
late Ama and my dad, which I consider one
of the best cooks by the way, to authentic Chinese restaurants that served
our tables, I must admit, I have become a yang chow critic myself. Well, the
procedures in cooking mixed fried rice don’t really have that much of a
difference compared to the sinangag. They’re of the same frying sort, only that
a yang chow contains more ingredients than the latter, which of course you have
to fry or cook first before mixing it with your rice. Shrimps, pork bits,
chorizo, shredded cabbage, diced carrots, and minced onion shoots are the
frequents. The trick to a delicious serving is the apt assortment of the
ingredients, ensuring their tastes blend in together with each other. You can
also add a bit of sesame oil to give it more of a Chinese style effect. On a
serious note though, never ever
forget to mix an egg when cooking this dish.
The fun part in making mixed fried rice is that you
don’t necessarily need to have the ingredients mentioned above. You can either have hot dogs, meatloaves, corned beefs, and potatoes if you want. The use of these
substitutes and/or alternatives is what we Filipinos are good at. With proper
seasoning and mixing, you are on your way to cooking your own version of a scrumptious
mixed rice.J
Curry Fried Rice
Ah, the Middle-Eastern way. This one, I would daresay, is my most recent
discovered recipe. Since my boyfriend grew up in Bahrain and has an adroit
fondness of the Arabian-Indian-Persian-and-whatever-other-country-is-there-in-UAE-that-I-can-incorporate-an-IAN-at-the-end cuisine, it was quite a task for me to have him try some authentic
Asian ones. And that dilemma my friend, led me to try out something new in my
customary garlic fried rice. For the love of cooking and him. Haha! Thank
heavens my Monica Geller character has never failed me in my kitchen stage yet. So far, he loves this lot. Well, it’s basically the same with the sinangag and all. You just have to use a
bit more cooking oil in frying the garlic and rice. Reason behind is once
you put in the heavy dose of curry powder, it will help mix up the rice faster
and more evenly. This recipe is best topped with fried chicken strips and ground beef. I haven't fully perfected this recipe yet and is currently researching on how to improve the taste but I hope my little venture could help.J
So there, you already have a clear picture on how to feed
and satisfy your loved ones’ rice hunger and cravings. Just don’t forget this:
Constant mixing until thorough is a must in cooking these rice dishes. It's best served when hot. On a side note, don’t be afraid to try new ideas. In
discovering new recipes, one has to experiment. Indulge!
All photos are taken from the following websites:
