Fried Rice and Baked Wonton Chips

Surprisingly we’d never made fried rice before, so we thought we’d give it a try. We made a vegetarian version of this recipe, omitting the meat. It was decent fried rice, but if we made it again we might try to seek out a different recipe.

Taylor thought the egg was supposed to be scrambled in the rice, rather than before, then removed, cut into pieces, and stirred back in.

Definitely don’t skip the mushrooms, this dish would have been lost without them (though strangely, while I can eat them fine, I can’t stand the smell of them rehydrating.)

We also doubled the sauce (but we tend to do that more often than not).

For the wonton chips – we had some leftover wrappers, and didn’t feel like wasting a quart of oil to fry them. So I cut them into strips, laid them on an oiled baking sheet, and baked them until they got crispy and golden (careful – they go from golden to burnt far too quickly, if anything, err on the side of less-than-golden when you take them out.) Pretty good, not as good as they’d be fried though! But they made for a nice ’scoop’ for the fried rice.

Anyone have a kick-butt recipe for fried rice? This one is more like a nice pat rather than a kick—good but could be so much better.

Fried Rice

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Food Network.

INGREDIENTS
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of kosher salt
4 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced carrot
1 large clove garlic, minced
Pinch red chile flakes
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 cup cooked meat cut in 1/2-inch cubes, such as pork, ham, beef, or chicken (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted in a strainer at room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water and soak until re-hydrated, about 20 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and cut mushrooms in quarters. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a well-seasoned wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the pan. Pour in the eggs, swirl the pan so the egg forms a large thin pancake. (Lift the edge of the egg to allow any uncooked egg to run to the center.) As soon as the egg has set, turn it out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cool, cut into 1 inch pieces.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining peanut oil over high heat. Add the scallions and carrots and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, chile, and ginger, stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat, peas, and reserved egg, cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Wonton Noodle Soup

This is like the Asian version of chicken soup – rich, comforting, delicious, especially on a cold day. And right now, as I’m watching the snowflakes coming down outside, it sounds just about right. So much for moving out of Colorado to get away from the snow… though I guess I can deal with it a few times a year.

This recipe comes from SteamyKitchen.com, which if you’re wondering the proper technique for folding these babies, check out her post and informational video on the process. You’ll be a pro in no time. :)

For those of you enjoying the last few days of this cold front as we are, this post is dedicated to you…

Wonton Noodle Soup

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from SteamyKitchen.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound ground pork
2 stalks scallion, finely minced
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 pound wonton wrappers, at room temperature, covered with a damp towel
1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/4 cup cool water (cornstarch slurry)
2 quarts chicken broth
8 ounces dried wonton noodles (or thin, egg noodles)
1/2 pound bok choy, leaves separated and washed well
1 teaspoon sesame oil
chili garlic sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the pork, scallion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar and sesame oil. Mix well. Put a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper, brush cornstarch slurry on all edges. Fold over to form a triangle, press to secure edges, encasing the filling. Brush cornstarch slurry on one tip of the triangle. Bring two corners together and press to secure. Place on clean, dry plate in one layer and cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining.

In a large stockpot, add all but 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. The 2 cups of reserved broth should be room temperature or just slightly chilled. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the wontons. Bring pot back to a gentle boil. When it reaches a boil, add 1 cup of the reserved broth. Bring back to a boil and again, add the remaining 1 cup of reserved broth.

Keep the heat on the pot on (you still need to cook the noodles and bok choy) while using a spider or sieve to scoop up the wontons and distribute amongst the bowls. Cook the noodles in the pot according to the package instructions. Add the bok choy to the pot during last minute of cooking noodles and let simmer, until cooked through. Ladle broth, noodles and bok choy to bowls. Drizzle just a few drops of sesame oil in each bowl.

Serve with chili garlic sauce if desired.