Winter came and gone and it's spring of 2021. It feels like a 'Ground Hog' Day or the Repeat movie. Are we back to do what we can without the fear of catching COVID-19? I think cooking at home is a "normal" thing to do that we all have ... kind of found an excuse not to out of one reason or the other before COVID-19. And before COVID-19, we were day dreaming 'how nice it will be to cook or bake this and that.' Now that we have to do it regularly for economic or for safety reason, I find myself... I wonder to think that how lazy we were before COVID-19. I replaced my spare time maybe to eat out just that I can get to the next appointment or activities. Thinking back when my mother used to cook 3 meals a day - that must have been a "endless" nightmare de la femme.
So, I learned to crop my garden vegetables with scissors before any bugs get to them, and cook them, and let it grow again. I have gardenful of celery, three kinds of Kale that my friend gave me. If you have a bottle of organic ketchup and Soy sauce, frozen wild caught seafood, you can make a nice decent quick dishes. Stir fried veges of all sorts.
I learned that cooked basmati rice result better when stir fried a bit and cooked in covered large pan. When cooked in the electric rice cooker, I did not really like the fully cooked soft texture all these years. So, I wash, rinse, basmatic extra long grain rice and soak them for 30 to whenever I remember that it is waiting for me to cook.
I chop up some onions, garlic, heat up large fry pan with oil. Add onions and garlic, add handful of chopped Kale (I often freeze my garden Kale if I can't cook all of them.). Add soaked Basmati rice. Stir fry for about a minute. Add enough water to cover the rice. Cover. Cook over Medium heat till all the water is evaporated and rice has doubled/puff up inside the pan. *NEVER open the lid of uncooked rice while cooking. Well, it is up to you, but it is important that you don't let the steam escape and change the temperature of the rice. Once visually you have confirmed that the rice is cooked - the top most rice sitting looks dry, prepare a cup of warm water, open the lid, quickly stir all rice bottom to top and side to center, add the cup of warm water. Cover, and cook till the water is gone. Done.
Defrost frozen wild scallop in some salted water. Drain and chop up scallops to your desired sizes. I like them small. Wash, rinse, devein celery stalks and chop. Wash, rinse Asparagus, then, snap off the bottom stem. Cut into bite size. Peel 1 clove of large garlic, cut in halves.
Heat a fry pan with some avocado oil over medium high. Add garlic. Add Scallops, Stir fry till scallops turn white. Add celery, asparagus, and stir fry . 2 min. Add 2 Tbsp of ketchup, 1 tsp of soy sauce (to taste), toss and stir fry. Add 2 Tbsp of water if needed to steam cook the veges. Server over rice.
Stir fried Kale with sweat peppers and carrots
Cook Basmati rice as mentioned in previous section with Kale.
Clean and chop up CHING TSAI - not sure why it is called Bok Choi at the grocery store but the large stalk of vegetable with green leafy tops with white stems - I 've always been calling it the CHING TSAI - the "green vegetables", but regardless, chop it up, chop 2 cloves of garlic. Stir fry them. Then, set aside. Stir fry chopped chicken tenders. Add cooking wine or white vermouth. Reconstitute rice vermicelli with hot water in a large bowl. When softened, scissor the into 4 to 6 inch strands. * just make a cut at the top and bottom of the rolled up rice vermicelli. Cut medium firm Tofu into pieces - square or rectangle.
Combine all in a large pot. Add 4 cups of water. Season with salt and white pepper. Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve
What else did I cook.... I have to upload the photos. Till next time... have a good cooking days.
Be Safe. Be Kind and Wear that Mask in the Public.
