Rosh Hashanah: Chicken Soup for 5772

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For the first Rosh Hashanah in our new house I wanted to make a meal which would reflect the change from summer to autumn. This soup is traditionally eaten in the hottest part of summer in Korea, the theory being that it warms the body so much as to make the outside temperature feel cooler. Yet the dates, chestnuts, and ginseng, and even the rice are fruit of fall. In any season, it is traditionally believed that sam gae tang helps to rejuvenate the body by replenishing essential nutrients while sweating out the toxins, thus promoting a long and healthy life. As we look forward to a sweet new year this soup was a flavorful meal to begin.

Herb Fried Rice

https://1tess.wordpress.comThis recipe was originally posted with Miso Marinated Beef Steak, but I like it so much that it deserves its own post.
To make stir-fried rice use leftover rice that’s been in the fridge for at least a day. The grains become firm and dry making them much easier to separate as you stir your fry.

Remember the Frugal Gourmet: “Hot wok, cold oil: foods won’t stick!”

This is a tip worth following to make a simple, not-greasy, light and fresh tasting fried rice…

Rice Consommé with Umeboshi

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japanese rice porridge
Rice consommé is a fair title for this recipe, but it is better described as rice porridge. Porridge connotes comfort and warm pleasure. Picture Goldilocks enjoying the little bowl of porridge—it was “just right!” Porridge is poor man’s food, extending a little grain or legumes with liquid and vegetables. It can be so magical as to offer freedom from poverty and hunger.

From fairy tales to Shakespeare with humor

Stir-Fried Hijiki Rice

hijiki-rice_6007This is another post using hijiki sea vegetable and brown rice. Ms. Shimbo uses a number of Western ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator: anchovy paste, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. She also suggests adding sun-dried tomatoes. The rice could be left-over and refrigerated, or make it fresh in the morning and refrigerate until dinner-time. I loved the combination of flavors in this recipe, and I’m sure you will too! I pan-fried some tilapia, blanched a bit of spinach, and cut some yellow tomatoes to make the meal more hardy.

Cooking Japanese Rice on a Stove

daffodils2_5615However many dishes are served at a meal, the meal is not complete without rice. The most basic meal is rice, miso soup, and pickles. Japanese rice is a short-grain variety, plump and tender, but firm enough to get your teeth into and sticky enough to eat in with chopsticks. Kome is the word for uncooked rice, usually spoken of with the honoricfic “o”—okome. As soon as the rice is cooked, it becomes either meshi, gohan, or raisu.