Directions

Scallion Ginger Rice (葱姜蓉拌饭)

1. The first recipe is the easiest one - scallion ginger rice, inspired by the classic scallion ginger sauce that'sthat's usually served with the Cantonese white cut chicken. It can be a foundation to serve with other dishes. You may think we use so many scallions; the flavor must be overpowering. Not at all; the aroma is gentle and long lasting, making you want to eat more and more.

   

2. Rinse the jasmine rice with water and drain thoroughly. Add the rice to a pot along with 2 cups of water. Turn the heat to high and bring the pot to a simmer. This will take just a few minutes. Don't go away because if you forget the time, it will over flow.

3. Once it simmers, put on the lid. Switch the heat to low and cook for 18 minutes.
4. While waiting, discard the scallion roots and dice the scallions into 1/2-inch long pieces. If you don'tdon't like scallions, you can totally replace them with cilantro or basil instead.
5. Add the scallions, ginger slices, garlic cloves, and 3 tbsp of oil to a food processor and blend into a fine paste.
6. Add the scallion paste to the wok and stir over medium heat for a few minutes to activate the fragrant. This scallion sauce is inspired by the Cantonese white-cut chicken, but there are differences. I used less ginger because too much ginger over powers the taste. I also used less oil so your rice will not be too oily. Season it with 1 tsp of salt and some black pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
7. Once the rice is done cooking, fluff the grains and mix with the scallion sauce until you don'tdon't see any white rice.

Crispy Rice Pancake (鸡蛋煎米饭)

1. The second recipe is like a crispy rice pancake, which is pretty unusual but tastes surprisingly delicious, and it is super easy as well. From prepping to finishing, it takes less than 8 minutes, so it is perfect for whenever you are feeling lazy.

   

2. In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of cooked rice, 3 medium sized eggs, 1/4 cup of diced scallions, 1/4 cup of shredded carrot, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/3 tsp of salt or to taste, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly. You can definitely switch to cilantro and cabbage. It really depends on what you have in the fridge.

3. Preheat a heavy-duty frying pan until hot. Add 2.5 Tbsps of oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour in the rice and egg mixture. Spread it out and switch the heat to low. Pan-fry the egg and rice for 2-3 minutes per side, or both sides until golden brown.
4. Cut the pancake into bite-size pieces and serve as a breakfast item or appetizer.

Northeastern Chinese Spicy Soy Sauce Rice 东北拌饭

1. Have you had experiences where sometimes you just suddenly felt super hungry at midnight and craved food, especially for carbs? The third recipe, 东北老式拌饭， is perfect for this type of emergency hunger because it is really fulfilling, and the total preparation and cooking time is about 10 minutes, assuming you have leftover rice in the fridge already.

   

2. Reheat the rice by microwaving it on full power for 1.5 minutes. If you don'tdon't have a microwave, you can reheat the rice over the stove.

3. In a heat-proof bowl, add minced garlic, diced Thai bird eye chilies, and diced green chili. If you don'tdon't eat spicy food, you can use diced cilantro and scallion. To be honest, it really depends on what you have in your fridge.
4. Heat 1.5 Tbsps of pork lard in a wok to smoking hot. Pour 1 tbsp into the little bowl but leave 1/2 tbsp in the wok.
5. Stir the aromatics to activate the fragrance. Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce, and 1 tsp dark soy sauce. Mix well and set it aside.
6. Add 3 slices of spam, about 1/4 of an inch thick, to the wok and sear for 1-2 minutes per side or until both sides are slightly charred. Place the spam onto the rice. If you don'tdon't have spam, you can sear some sausages or hot dogs.
7. To the same wok, crack in 2 eggs and pan fry to your desired doneness.
8. Place the egg onto the rice and drizzle the sauce all over. Optionally, sprinkle some crushed, crispy seaweeds. I normally will add some roasted sesame seeds but the sea weed that I am using already contains sesame seeds.

Chicken and Mushroom Rice 香菇鸡肉焖饭

1. The fourth recipe is Chicken and Mushroom Rice, a perfect weeknight dinner option because it is easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and enough to serve a family of 3.  

   

2. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Marinade it with 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp five-spice powder. Mix well and set it aside.

3. Rinse the jasmine rice with water and drain thoroughly. Add the rice to a pot for now, and we'rewe're gonna cook the chicken.
4. Turn the heat to high and heat a wok until smoking hot. Add 1/4 cup of cooking oil and swirl it around so the oil creates a nonstick coating.
5. Add the marinated chicken and spread it out. Let it cook until the chicken has changed color. Drizzle in 2 Tbsps of Chinese cooking wine and stir to evaporate the alcohol. Add 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 Tbsp oyster sauce. Continue to mix and let all the seasonings mingle for 2 more minutes.
6. Squeeze the soaked shiitake mushrooms, add them to the wok, and keep stirring them over medium heat for 2 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid on the side. These mushrooms are small, so I decided not to cut them. If yours are bigger, you will have to cut them.
7. Transfer all the ingredients from the wok into the pot where you have the rice. Use the mushroom-soaking water to rinse the wok and pour it into the rice.
8. Place the pot onto the stove and turn the heat to high. Bring it to a boil. Put on the lid and switch the heat to the lowest. Continue to cook for 16 more minutes.
9. Sprinkle some diced scallions and mix thoroughly.

Tomato Beef Rice 番茄肥牛烩饭

1. The next recipe is one of my weeknight favorite dishes - tomato beef rice. It is also quick and simple. Even though it doesn't look fancy, it is definitely flavorful and delicious. You will be surprised that rice can be so tasty after absorbing the tomato sauce.

   

2. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross on each tomato and add to the boiling water. Blanch for 30 seconds and remove from the water.

3. Once cooled, peel the tomato skin and cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Set them aside.
4. Add the thinly shaved beef to the boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds. Remove the beef from the water and set it aside.
5. Add oil and the diced onion to a wok and stir over medium heat for a few minutes or until the onion is soft.
6. Add the garlic, tomato, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, and black pepper and keep stirring for 3 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly soft. I like to smash the tomatoes with the spatula to help to release the juice.
7. Pour in the tomato sauce and chicken stock. Bring everything to a boil and add the beef. Let it cook for 1.5 minutes to immerse the beef in the sauce thoroughly.
8. Add the leftover rice and mix until well combined. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle some diced scallions and cilantro as garnish.

Xinjiang Style Mutton Rice Pilaf 羊肉手抓饭

1. The last dish is an easy one-pot meal - Mutton Rice Pilaf (also spelled as polov), AKA Shouzhuafan in Chinese (手抓饭). This is a classic dish from Xinjiang so lamb is popular, but you can definitely switch to beef.

   

2. Add the vegetable oil and the onion slices to a stock pot and stir over medium until golden brown. You can have the heat on high in the beginning because the onion still contains lots of moisture. Then, gradually lower the heat as the color turns darker. We want the onion to be golden brown so it can give the rice the desired flavor and color. 

3. Add the garlic bulbs, carrot sticks, and bone-in lamb meat and stir for 3-4 minutes. If using boneless meat, only need 454g / 1 pound.
4. Add 1 Tbsp of salt, 2 tsps of cumin seeds, 2 tsps of sweet paprika, and 1.5 tsps ground black pepper.
5. Boil 4 cups of water using an electric kettle, then pour it into the pot. Make sure the liquid is enough to immerse all the ingredients. Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer the lamb for 1.5 hours or until fork tender.
6. During this time, wash the rice several times, soak it with clean water for 1 hour.
7. Once the lamb is done simmering, take out the garlic bulbs. Pour all the broth into a measuring cup, but leave the meat and carrot behind because we want to know how much liquid we have left. You want about 2 cups. If you have less than that, add more water, if you have more than that, you can reduce the broth until you have the correct amount.
8. Pour the broth back into the pot. Drain the rice thoroughly and add it to the pot. Spread it out evenly. Put on the lid, keep the heat at the lowest, and cook the rice for 20 minutes.
9. While waiting, smash the soft garlic into a paste then pick out the peels.
10. Mix in the garlic paste once the rice is cooked and fluff the grains. Serve as a main dish.