Mushroom and rice soup

We tried this quick, chicken broth-based soup from Cook’s Illustrated. Soak ¼ oz dried porcini mushroom in hot water, then remove and mince the reconstituted mushroom. Set aside the mushroom soaking broth and save ½ cup dor the soup. Heat 5 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, ½ cup mushroom soaking broth, ½ cup uncooked long… Continue reading Mushroom and rice soup

Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant

We followed this recipe but modified it from stovetop to the oven: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lebanese-style-stuffed-eggplant-358052. (Note: sometimes this link does not work. You can Google “Lebanese stuffed eggplant epicurious” and it should show up.) How we modified: preheated oven to 375; used small (instead of large) onion; toasted pine nuts in toaster oven at 350 for a… Continue reading Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant

Ghanaian jollof rice with smoked turkey

I learned this family recipe from a Ghanaian-American friend’s mother, but she has not given me permission to share the recipe. I found this online recipe, which is fairly close: http://zoesghanakitchen.co.uk/recipe-jollof-rice-with-chicken/. The recipe I made uses smoked turkey wings in lieu of chicken and one package of onion soup mix as additional seasoning. (Mar. 2016)

Middle eastern-style red lentil and rice soup with spinach

We used white basmati rice and garnished with fresh lime wedges. We also used fried shallots from the Thai/Indian supermarket instead of caramelizing onions ourselves and added a dash of marash pepper. At the end of cooking, we added ¾ cup to 1 cup chicken broth to thin the soup a little. This recipe is… Continue reading Middle eastern-style red lentil and rice soup with spinach

Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Heat 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok, add 4 minced garlic cloves. When fragrant, add 3 minced Thai chiles, 1 lb minced chicken, 2 Tbsp each soy sauce and fish sauce, and ½ tsp sugar. Stir-fry on high heat until chicken is cooked, then add 30-40 fresh Thai holy basil leaves (about 1… Continue reading Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Cumin-infused basmati rice with peas (rice cooker version)

We adapted a stove-top recipe from Shubhra Ramenini to the rice cooker. First, measure out 2 cups (rice cooker measuring cups) dry basmati rice, place in rice cooker inner pot, and rinse several times in water. Drain as much water as possible, then add 2 tsp cumin seeds (we sometimes reduce to 1 tsp), 2… Continue reading Cumin-infused basmati rice with peas (rice cooker version)

Pan-seared spam and scrambled eggs over rice

We had two slices of spam leftover from making spam musubi, so we tried this quick and easy recipe: http://eatingrichly.com/spam-eggs-and-rice/. Because spam already is salty, we reduced the amount of soy and fish sauce in the marinade to 1 Tsp and 1 tsp, respectively. We did not add salt or pepper to the egg mixture.… Continue reading Pan-seared spam and scrambled eggs over rice