California Roll Salad

It all started with one avocado that I found at the store today.

I'd heard rumors of avocado sightings in Dushanbe, but this was the first time I'd spotted them. They were looking a bit past their prime but I took a chance on one, and I'm glad I did!

A while back I found this at the same grocery store. Sushi rice!

If you want the taste of sushi but don't want to go through the whole rolling ordeal, then this recipe from Gourmet magazine from about 15 years ago is perfect! Or, in my case, because I don't have any nori, this is a great way to get the same taste of a california roll but without the roll.

I rely on the backbone of this recipe - the rice and the dressing - and deviate a bit with the rest depending on what I have within arms reach.

First, cook 1 cup of sushi rice in 2 cups of water for about 15 - 20 minutes. Many recipes say sushi rice can't be done on the stovetop. That the rice must cook in a rice cooker. I beg to differ. It might not be perfect sushi rice, but it works for me.

While the rice is cooking, work on the vinegar/sugar combo for the cooked rice. I mixed 1/4 cup of cider vinegar with 1/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt and heat on the stove until the sugar dissolves.

As an aside: I had to substitute cider vinegar for the rice wine vinegar. However, I have a source for rice wine vinegar based in Bishkek, Kyrgystan! And as far as I know, my stash is here in Dushanbe waiting for the pick up! And so is the dealer, an old friend from Baku!

Once the rice and the vinegar mixture have had a chance to cool down a bit, mix the two, gently folding the rice so as to not break each grain.

Now shake some sesame seeds over the top, about 1 tablespoon.

Take your chopped and grated veggies - carrots, cucumber and scallions - and gently fold those into the rice as well.

Now, the whole reason you make this dish at all is for this - the wasabi dressing. It's ALL about wasabi, isn't it?

And then we are back to the inspiration for the dish. The beautiful, buttery avocado.

Dice the avocado. Add the dressing to the rice mixture, tossing gently. Add about 3/4 of the diced avocado, reserving the rest for garnish.

Gently toss one last time and serve with a few diced avocado and a final sprinkling of sesame seeds.

And when you are finished, write an ode to an avocado.

Quick and Easy Fried Rice

It's sort of redundant to call fried rice easy, isn't it? Fried rice is inherently easy. There are a million versions of it which gives you the latitude to use up what you have on hand and tweak it to your family's tastes.

It's imperative to begin with at least day-old cooked rice. You'll never be able to get the right consistency if it's freshly cooked rice. You want the grains to be a bit dry and separate so that each grain can get nice and crispy.

I had a bunch of rice leftover from the Korean bulgogi so a few nights later I whipped up a batch of fried rice, keeping in mind what the Sparkly Girls would eat.

Here's what I used: cold pre-cooked rice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 2 eggs, sweet red pepper, carrots and green onion. If I had frozen peas I would have definitely used them.

Beat the two eggs until bubbly.

Preheat oil (1 teaspoon) in a wok and add the eggs, letting them cook on one side.

When it's partially cooked, flip it and cook the other side. It'll cook faster than the first side.

Once they egg pancake is cool enough to handle, cut it into thirds, layer then on top of each other and slice into thin strips. Put this aside for the moment.

Back to the wok. Heat a bit more oil and when it's hot, add the finely chopped garlic and grated ginger. After about a minute, add the diced carrots and red pepper. Nothing was measured. You can increase or decrease the amounts according to your preference. And swap out veg and seasonings as well.

Stir fry the vegetables until cooked through, but still with a bit of bite. Mushy isn't good. About two minutes because the dice was fairly small. Put the veg mixture in a bowl and set aside.

To the now empty wok, add a tad more oil - about one teaspoon. When the oil is heated, add the rice and begin breaking up the clumps with the back of your spatula/spoon.

After about five minutes, the rice is separated and each grain is coated in a bit of oil and well "fried". Create a well in the center of the rice exposing the bottom of the wok. Add the cooked carrots and red pepper to the well. Top the cooked veggies with the green onion and sprinkle the wok with soy sauce. I'd say about 1 tablespoon.

Don't forget to add the sliced eggs.

Mix everything well, making sure that vegetables and the egg are reheated.

The Sparkly Girls LOVED this. I was so happy to add another Will Eat meal to my arsenal of quick and easy dinners that we can all enjoy. I'm weaning myself from making two separate meals - one for the kids and one for the big people.

Of course, for the big people, we sauced the fried rice up with some Sriracha. You can never go wrong with Sriracha.

[Spicy] Thai One Pot

This dish and I go back. Way back. But then we lost each other, only to be reunited years later. When Paul and I were living in DC this recipe first found it's way to me. We both recall the recipe being on the back of a rice package. But I recall it being on a Rose's bag, and Paul recalls it being on something different. Perhaps it's irrelevant. What I do know is that this simple and cheap recipe came into our lives and then left us. We made it for a few years relying on the recipe on the back of the bag. With our first move overseas after being married, we lost our Spicy Thai One Pot.

After living in Turkmenistan for a few years, we flew to Singapore to visit my folks who were living there. If you've ever lived in Turkmenistan, you'd understand the simple pleasures of perusing the aisles of a grocery store. After about 10 minutes in their apartment, we decided to visit the little grocery store in their complex. Lo and behold, what did we find? The same rice with THE same Spicy Thai One Pot recipe on the back! The simple recipe that had been eluding us for so long.

It's not complex, as the name suggests. But, oh, is it easy AND tasty! It's the sort of dish that's greater than the sum of it's parts. And great for those mid-week meals that leave you staring in the pantry and the fridge, wondering what to make for dinner.

This is an adapted version that can be doctored up by adding a variety of veggies but as The Sparkly Girls aren't fond of cooked veg, I keep it pretty bland....until the end when the adults can add as much fire as they want! I recall the original calling for one chopped green pepper.

After a quick search on the internet, I found the original recipe. Find it here!

Start with the basics. Ground beef (not pictured), rice, stock, hot sauce and soy sauce.

Brown about 1 lb of ground beef in a saute pan. (Add any veg - diced carrots, bell pepper, etc. now, too). Once cooked, drain the fat.

Then add 1 1/2 cups of rice (brown, basmati, whatever floats your boat), and stir that around for a bit. Add 3 cups of stock (veg or chicken) and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 30 or 40 minutes, until the rice is tender.

When done, dish up portions for the little ones and yourselves, but be sure to add tons of chili garlic sauce (sriracha or sambal oelek) cilantro and chopped green onions to yours. Mix it up well, hum an ode to all that is good in life, and enjoy!