Congee for Brekkie, or Dinner, or whenevs

Congee's interesting - one of those more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts kind of nosh. Rice + water + any flavors, be they peanuts, chili oil, greens, or meats end up as a warm, belly-pleasing bowl of porridge.

My first congee was a random lunch in Chinatown. Had jury duty, didn't want a bagel sammich, walked a few blocks from the courthouse and found Buddah Bodai, a vegan dim sum house on the LES. Their mushroom congee totally made my week, and I've since replicated it to the best of my ability several times (oh, how I miss that place). Interestingly, since they serve the Buddhist crowd, you'll find no onion or garlic in theirs (inspires passion! oh noes) but do deviate, if you so desire. Traditionally a breakfast dish, I eat mine for dinner. With dumplings, of course.

Mushroom Congee

6 cups water
1 cup white, flavorful rice (Jasmine is my fav)
8 medium shitakes, chopped
1 bunch beech or enoki mushrooms, separated
2 tablespoons ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons mushroom stock concentrate (optional)
Salt and sczechuan pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

To garnish:
Shredded bok choy
Chili oil
Chopped scallions or chives

In a large saucepan, bring your water to a boil. Wash your rice and add to pot. Simmer, covered, for an hour.

Add all additional ingredients except your sesame oil and pepper. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes, until the grains of rice have almost totally fallen apart and the stew has a creamy consistency. Finish with sesame oil, stir in bok choy. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with scallions and chili oil.

So good.

Props to my awesome Ma who, while hanging out with me this weekend, built me a tabletop softbox for lighting food. The above deliciousness is in no small part her doing :)

Possibly Poutine and (kind of) a Chang recipe hack

Well isn't that title full of confidence!

I feel the need to throw all these caveats out there because a) I've never been to Ma Peche (and probably never will, as there's maybe one thing on the menu us veggies could eat) and b) I don't want any rabid Poutine purists pelting me with cheese curds. But after reading this restaurant review, I had to make an attempt at rice fries.

I don't really track superstar chefs, but I've always kept a tiny, peripheral eye on David Chang. Seems like a talented, inventive, risk-taking boy (albeit a vegetarian hater). I like that a lot of his creations seem like inside jokes, even if they're just to himself - and his "Steak frites, Má Pêche style" fit that description well. Apparently he isn't the first to throw steamed rice cake (sliced to fry-size, of course) into the deep fryer. And now I've gone and done it too!

Chinese "Poutine" with Chive and Peppercorn Rice Fries

If you're looking for a simple, starchy snack, the fries are pretty awesome by themselves. Of course, dousing them in sriracha-spiked Mayo had to happen.

Basically, I made a batch of steamed rice cake (plus szechuan peppercorn and chinese chives), sliced it into "fries", deep fried 'em, and topped the mess with a pile of Tofu and Mushrooms in Garlic Black Bean Sauce (one of those dishes I make pretty often). Texturally, it was pretty spot on - crunchy, starchy fries, warm, salty gravy, soft tofu acting curd-y. Yum.

Rice Fries

16oz rice flour (interestingly, the widely available stuff in Charlotte is Thai in origin)
1.5 tsp salt
Dash baking powder
2 tablespoons freshly minced chinese chives
1 tablespoon freshly ground Szechuan peppercorns
1-1.5 cup cold water (possibly more - see below)

Oil for deep frying

Anything that's powdered and flavorful will work here - garlic, mustard, onion, etc. Herbs are variable as well.

If you're lucky enough to have steaming equipment, break it on out, or pull a NFP and use a stockpot (use a small cup or bowl to prop up whatever it is you're steaming). The amount of uncooked rice cake above will fill a 9 inch flat-sided cake pan to almost the top, right where you want it.

Sift the rice flour into a large bowl, add the salt and baking powder, and whisk. Add your herbs and pepper, plus any powdered flavoring agents you're using, and whisk again. Using a spoon, gradually add water, working the batter, until it reaches the consistency of uncooked cake batter (pretty thin). The consistency of the batter here relates directly to the chewiness factor of the fries - the thicker the batter, the more chew. I went for thinner rather than thicker hoping to achieve a crunchy outside crust that gave way to a steamy, soft interior (much like an actual fry). Grease your cake pan and pour the batter in. Steam for about 25 minutes. Let cool.

Heat your oil to 375f.

Once your cake has cooled, it'll pop out of the baking pan, no problemo. Using a sharp knife and wiping the blade often, slice the cake into 1/2 wide strips.

Slice the strips in half width-wise - you want these fries thin, but not so thin that they fall apart while frying.

If you fry them all in one batch (which I did) make sure to stir often - rice flour is verrrry sticky, and you'll end up with a bird's nest of rice fry, if you don't. Drain these well, and either nosh them as-is, with some Sriracha Mayo (1 tsp Sriracha to 1 tbl Mayo is how I like mine) or make some "gravy" as described below.


Soft Tofu and Mushrooms in Garlic Black Bean Sauce

1 block soft or medium tofu, drained and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons Black Bean Sauce (most Asian supermarkets carry this stuff - I use Lee Kum Kee brand)
1.5 cups water
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
Dash freshly ground Szechuan pepper
Huy Fong cock sauce, optional, about 1 tablespoon

Saute your garlic and shallots in the sesame oil for about a minute, then add your mushrooms. You want to saute your 'shrooms until they release their moisture. Add black bean sauce, water, cock sauce and pepper - simmer 2 minutes. Add your cornstarch and bring the mixture to a brisk simmer, until it thickens and clears. Add your tofu and continue to simmer for a few more minutes, to ensure the flavors penetrate the curd.

To serve, plate a pile of rice fries and ladle your "gravy" over top. Garnish with minced chives or scallions and additional cock sauce, if you so desire.

Farm Stand Fried Rice

I was whining to a pal o mine that every attempt I've made at fried rice ends in soggy rice, when he looked up at me in surprise and asked, "You don't know the secret?" "Obviously not." says I, looking at him expectantly. He grins, takes a sip of his drinkee, and tells me "it's gotta be cold".

Duh! How did this not occur to me before? Of course steamy, just-outta-the-pot rice is going to turn into sticky, crappy risotto if you dump it in a pan with oil and soy sauce. Those little grains gotta dry out! Get their skins thick! Put their shields up! Ya!

So, Jean-Georges knew this and I didn't. Go figure.


Since I was making this for same-day delivery, I admit, I cheated a little bit - made the rice 2 hours before I planned on frying it, threw it all in a chilled pyrex bowl, and stuck it in the freezer until I was ready (occasional stirring required). Still pretty ace, texture-wise - light, fluffy, every grain distinct. Huzzah. This dish gets an A++ for malleability - you can throw whatever's locally available in and it'll taste great. This almost qualified as a 50 mile meal but for the soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce, cos I gotta have me some stinky, salty flavor.


Farm Stand Fried Rice
serves 4-6

You'll need:

3 cups brown rice, rinsed
1 block tofu (did you know they sell it at Saigon Bistro, freshly made?), cubed, fried or pan-fried
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound broccoli, cut into bite-sized chunks
4 carrots, small, cut into thin rounds
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium squash, chopped
1 small knob ginger, grated
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce 
4 medium eggs 


Remember! Whatever you have on hand is good, just try to mix the crunchy veggies (carrots, green beans) with the soft ones (squash, broccoli) in good proportion. And, you can never have too many fried eggs in Fried Rice. 

Boil 4 quarts of water in a stock pot and throw the rice in. Simmer for 30 minutes, drain in a colander for 10 seconds, and return the rice to the pot, cover, remove from heat, and let steam while you fry your veggies.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add your garlic, ginger and onion, stir fry for 5 minutes or until the onion is somewhat translucent. Add your carrots and green beans. Stir and cover for 4 minutes, letting them steam a bit to soften. Uncover and toss your squash and broccoli in. Stir frequently over 5-6 minutes until they're bright green (broc) and slightly translucent around the edges (squash). 

In a separate skillet, crack your eggs in, scramble quickly, and let them set into an omelette-shaped mass. Transfer them, once cooked, to your cutting board, and slice thinly.

Add your rice to the wok and mix. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, stir vigorously, then add your tofu and egg. Stir gently once, then remove from heat. Fold the rice and veggies together until the sauce is evenly distributed. Add your chopped scallions just before serving and toss a final time.

Lettuce Cups con Tofu

One of the things I brought home from the Farmer's Mkt this weekend was a huge, amazing head of Bibb lettuce Like I'd never seen. It was almost fungal in texture, and the lightest, most delicious thing ever. And it was 2 dollas.

Usually when I order Lettuce Cups (alas, there's only one place in CLT to get it, and that's Fu Lin on Independence) I know what I'm gonna get, lechuga-wise - boring ol' Iceburg. Which makes sense - structurally, it's sturdy enough to allow for rolling your tofu, veggies, sauce burrito style and holds up to multiple chomps. But when you've got a huge head of lettuce in your fridge that defies the Lettuce Cup gods, sometimes you gotta take a chance, and we did. It was a mess. But delicious.

Tofu Lettuce Cups

You'll need:

1 block firm tofu, sliced into 6-8 cakes, crosswise
2 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
Handful of bean sprouts
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Lettuce, 6-8 leaves
Rice noodles, 1 package
1/2 cup frozen or fresh edamame
6 mushrooms, diced
8oz can of water chestnuts, diced
2 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
5 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce (available at any large asian market)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
Oil for frying rice noodles

To serve: vegetarian Hoisin sauce and Chinese mustard

Do eeet:

Marinate your tofu in 2 tablespoons of Oyster sauce plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce, mixed with half a cup of water.

Heat your oil for frying in a large, deep pot to very hot, but not smoking. You'll know it's there when you drop a noodle in and it sizzles, floating to the surface and curling up a bit. Break your noodles into three portions (easily done in a shopping bag to contain the mess) and put them in the oil bath for 10-12 seconds, until they puff up and stop sizzling. Lay on a paper towel to dry, and repeat until all your noodles are cooked.

In an iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil until hot but not smoking. Lay your tofu into the pan, and swirl the pan to get oil under each cake. Press down and cover with a lid. Cook until somewhat brown, loosening each carefully with your spatula to flip. Brown a bit on the other side, then pour the marinade into the pan, letting it reduce rapidly. Cut of the heat and let the marinade finish coating the tofu. Dice and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok until hot but not smoking. Add your carrots and celery, stir for 1 minute. Add your ginger, garlic, mushrooms, water chestnuts and pine nuts and stir fry 3 minutes. Add your tofu, scallions, edamame, bean sprouts, oyster sauce and soy sauce, and continue cooking until the sauce thickens up a bit and your mushrooms have cooked through.

To serve, pile your fried noodles on a large plate and spoon the stir-fry over. Core your lettuce if you're using Iceburg (the Bibb lettuce just falls apart, so doesn't require this step) and carefully peel the leaves apart, keeping the cups intact as much as possible. Don't fret if you break them, that just means smaller 'ritos! Make sure to have Hoisin and mustard out for serving. And plenty of napkins!