Cold Rice

Cold Rice
Leftover Chinese rice seems to be a staple in my fridge. It’s not that we order take-out Chinese that much, it’s just that its shelf life is amazingly long. And good thing too, as a number of recipes require cold rice (because it’s not sticky or mushy).  Although it may seem redundant, I usually make stir-fried rice with it. One of the things I learned from a famous Chinese chef (whose name eludes me at the moment) is not to douse it with soy sauce. In fact a tablespoon is plenty. Here’s what I do; sauté green onion and garlic in a little sesame oil. Add cold rice, diced carrot and chunks of leftover pork or chicken or tofu. Stir-fry until heated through. Scramble in an egg or two, then a splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper. Another thing I do is make a quick rice pudding. Combine 2-3 cups whole or 2% milk with about 1 ½ cups cold rice, ½ cup sugar and a splash of vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat until thickened, at which point you can enrich it with an egg or two if you like.  Eat hot or cold. And lastly I make rice salad. The original recipe came from a vegetarian cookbook by Jean Lemlin. I’ve toyed with it plenty and have come to realize that you really can’t ruin this formula. Combine 2 cups cold rice, chopped red bell pepper, garbanzo beans, parsley, chopped basil, oil and vinegar and feta cheese. Sometimes I use the Good Seasons Italian salad dressing (that I make from the mix, which is my favorite salad dressing), and sometimes I add garlic.   

Now on to the brown bananas, that have a permanent place in my fruit bowl. Ideas anyone?