Putting leftovers to good use since 600 AD!
These last few months have felt like an actual whirlwind in our apartment. Between planning our upcoming vow renewal, business at work, trying to get some academic articles written and published, adopting a cat, and keeping up with the blog, I feel like I haven't really had a chance to catch my breath since... maybe February?
Because of that, it's been very difficult to plan and prep meals, which means anything easy and quick (while still healthy - ish - and filling) has been a huge asset. I'm hopeful that once things settle down again, I'll have more time and energy to devote to non blog related meals, but until then, it's been fun to experiment with some traditional go to's that are easy to make, full of vegetables, and a way to get rid of leftovers that's been used for generations.
I'm speaking about fried rice, of course!
Because of that, it's been very difficult to plan and prep meals, which means anything easy and quick (while still healthy - ish - and filling) has been a huge asset. I'm hopeful that once things settle down again, I'll have more time and energy to devote to non blog related meals, but until then, it's been fun to experiment with some traditional go to's that are easy to make, full of vegetables, and a way to get rid of leftovers that's been used for generations.
I'm speaking about fried rice, of course!
Chinese style fried rice has a long, long history, which of course no one remembers perfectly. It's believed by many that it can trace its history back to the Sui Dynasty in the city of Yangzhou, so sometime around 600 AD. This popular dish has become a staple of basically every part of China, with different regions adding different veggies and proteins to the dish depending on what's available. It's also become a staple of Chinese restaurants in the United States, and its versatility and relatively easy preparation means it's something Ivy and her family probably would eat even when they weren't visiting her grandparents' restaurant The Happy Panda in San Francisco's Chinatown, or that Julie's mom might whip up from leftovers even when she was busy running her store.
One reason it's enjoyed such long standing popularity - besides the fact that it just tastes good! - is because it's a great way to get rid of leftover rice. You absolutely can't use freshly made rice to make fried rice, and as rice can be a little difficult to reanimate once you've put it in the fridge or set it aside overnight, frying it helps bring it back to life and transforms it into a really tasty dish.
You can get as complicated or simple with the dish as you'd like - some people even suggest that sticking to egg, rice, and a lot of green onions plus seasoning is the best way to go about it. Others like loading it up with lots of protein and veggies to help pad out the carbs from the rice with something healthier.
I decided to go fairly simple with my version. After consulting a lot of different recipes, I chopped up some carrots, a lot of green onions, defrosted some frozen peas, and got ready to cook my ingredients.
Ideally, you'd want to make this in a wok, but with limited budget and cabinet space in our small apartment, we made do with a large skillet. Depending on what recipe you're working with or personal preference, you can start off like we did and scramble two eggs in butter. Some recipes call for just oil based frying, but others point out that restaurant style fried rice often uses butter for a ricer flavor, so that's what we used.
Scramble your eggs like usual, scrape them out of the pan, and set them aside.
One reason it's enjoyed such long standing popularity - besides the fact that it just tastes good! - is because it's a great way to get rid of leftover rice. You absolutely can't use freshly made rice to make fried rice, and as rice can be a little difficult to reanimate once you've put it in the fridge or set it aside overnight, frying it helps bring it back to life and transforms it into a really tasty dish.
You can get as complicated or simple with the dish as you'd like - some people even suggest that sticking to egg, rice, and a lot of green onions plus seasoning is the best way to go about it. Others like loading it up with lots of protein and veggies to help pad out the carbs from the rice with something healthier.
I decided to go fairly simple with my version. After consulting a lot of different recipes, I chopped up some carrots, a lot of green onions, defrosted some frozen peas, and got ready to cook my ingredients.
Ideally, you'd want to make this in a wok, but with limited budget and cabinet space in our small apartment, we made do with a large skillet. Depending on what recipe you're working with or personal preference, you can start off like we did and scramble two eggs in butter. Some recipes call for just oil based frying, but others point out that restaurant style fried rice often uses butter for a ricer flavor, so that's what we used.
Scramble your eggs like usual, scrape them out of the pan, and set them aside.
Next comes your minced garlic and veggies. Again, cook them in butter or oil until they're nice and tender.
Finally, take out your cold, leftover rice and get ready to fry it. Here you can start adding your seasoning, too. We used some soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and garlic powder. You can also add the eggs back into the pan as you fry the rice.
Once the rice is done, you're ready to eat!
I'd never made fried rice before, although I've enjoyed it many a time at various Asian restaurants, and while I wasn't blown away by my version, I do think for a first attempt, it came out okay. The seasoning wasn't quite right and I probably could have waited to add the green onions in, but a little tweaking and it came out fine. We've now been enjoying the leftovers as work lunches and lazy dinners, which means we'll definitely probably be returning to this next time we have leftover rice. Maybe next time, we'll add some chicken or shrimp, or just go super simple and let the eggs and green onion be the star. Who knows!
It was a lot of fun thinking about the different factors at play that would make fried rice a good dinner option for both the Lings and the Albrights. Both Ivy and Julie's moms are deviating from the norm by going to law school and working full time, meaning they had less time to preform the traditional tasks a mother would be expected to take on in the 1970's. Quick meals that made good use of leftovers, were easy to reheat or load up with healthy goodies would have been huge lifesavers, especially considering this is easy enough to make that an older kid like Andrew Ling or Tracy Albright could probably make it on nights when their moms were busy. Ivy and Julie themselves could also probably take a stab at it, or at least help with meal prep.
The 1970's were also a time when Chinese food was firmly established as delicious, popular, and something easy to get your hands on for most Americans. It still might be a little exotic for most white Americans, but it was no longer something that was difficult to find in your hometown or something you'd turn your nose up at for being too foreign. This widespread acceptance of ethnic food was building on trends first established in the pre-war period, which gained more traction after World War II. Many members of the military had served in foreign countries which exposed them to tasty new dishes they now wanted to enjoy back home, or made friends from different ethnic backgrounds who introduced them to Italian, Mexican, and Chinese food. Other Americans moved to different neighborhoods or completely different parts of the country in the mid-century, further exposing them to new treats to try. Although racism and prejudice was certainly still a major issue in this period, this new enthusiasm for sharing food across communities helped build friendships and positive feelings between people from different backgrounds. Isn't it great that after hundreds of years of cultural exchange, we now get to live in a time where you can enjoy cuisine from almost any part of the world in your own kitchen or city?
It was a lot of fun thinking about the different factors at play that would make fried rice a good dinner option for both the Lings and the Albrights. Both Ivy and Julie's moms are deviating from the norm by going to law school and working full time, meaning they had less time to preform the traditional tasks a mother would be expected to take on in the 1970's. Quick meals that made good use of leftovers, were easy to reheat or load up with healthy goodies would have been huge lifesavers, especially considering this is easy enough to make that an older kid like Andrew Ling or Tracy Albright could probably make it on nights when their moms were busy. Ivy and Julie themselves could also probably take a stab at it, or at least help with meal prep.
The 1970's were also a time when Chinese food was firmly established as delicious, popular, and something easy to get your hands on for most Americans. It still might be a little exotic for most white Americans, but it was no longer something that was difficult to find in your hometown or something you'd turn your nose up at for being too foreign. This widespread acceptance of ethnic food was building on trends first established in the pre-war period, which gained more traction after World War II. Many members of the military had served in foreign countries which exposed them to tasty new dishes they now wanted to enjoy back home, or made friends from different ethnic backgrounds who introduced them to Italian, Mexican, and Chinese food. Other Americans moved to different neighborhoods or completely different parts of the country in the mid-century, further exposing them to new treats to try. Although racism and prejudice was certainly still a major issue in this period, this new enthusiasm for sharing food across communities helped build friendships and positive feelings between people from different backgrounds. Isn't it great that after hundreds of years of cultural exchange, we now get to live in a time where you can enjoy cuisine from almost any part of the world in your own kitchen or city?
I know I sure think so!
It does look yummy, well not the egg part. I can't eat eggs.
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking about getting Chinese food tomorrow. Hmmm, maybe I will. I am such a non-cook (chuckle) but this does look easy.