Tag: rice

Thankful Recipes

Kim’s Thai Red Curry

by Teri Mae3 Comments on Kim’s Thai Red Curry
Kim’s Thai Red Curry

For my very first Thankful post in 2019 I wanted to write about someone who has been very dear to me ever since I started my blog. Kim at Later Levels was one of the first people to follow, comment on, and give advice about my blog. She is one of the most supportive and kind people I have had contact with in recent years. Her dedication to staying positive in the confusing and sometimes toxic world of gaming is an inspiration. She regularly volunteers her time and runs charity streams on Twitch to support good causes (like Game Blast). And her creation and maintenance of a wonderfully accepting community within gaming bloggers has been extraordinary.

But more recently, Kim has become a real friend. I don’t have many friends who want to sit around and talk about gaming, even fewer who are women. But I have one in Kim. And we can not only chat about games, but we talk about baking, politics, culture, and understanding the different lives we lead across a wide ocean. And that is why she’s getting a highlight this month! If you don’t already follow her blog, make sure you go check it out. You’ll probably find something worth reading within a few minutes.

Kim’s Thai Red Curry
meter for thai curry

When I asked Kim what her favorite food was, something she could eat forever, of course she would pick something I’ve never even had in a restaurant, let along something I’ve never made. So with all my guessing, scouring the web for the similarities between recipes, and begging Mr. Sheikah Plate to tell me EXACTLY what he thought, this could be the first recipe I’m 100% unsure of. So Kim/anyone else, if you give this a go – please let me know how it tastes and if it’s even remotely similar to a Thai Red Curry.

If it happens to be right, the logistics of this recipe are pretty simple. Start by getting the rice going. This recipe doesn’t actually take that long, so we want the rice to be done when we finish! Simply rinse the rice (as we’ve done MANY times before!), add water to the first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and turn on the rice cooker. I promise guys, one day I’ll make rice in a pot for those of you without a rice cooker… I’m just not brave enough!

Mince the Garlic
Grate The Ginger

Then move on to the chopping by dicing the peppers and broccoli into bite-size pieces. Then slice the green onions into 1/4 inch pieces, much smaller than we usually do. Mince the garlic and ginger (if you’re using fresh garlic and ginger). You can then use the same cutting board to dice the chicken. Now, for food safety, it’s very important that you do the chicken last. Otherwise you should dice the chicken, wash the cutting board and knife, and then cut the veggies. We don’t to cross contaminate anything.

chicken
salt and pepper
ginger, garlic, onions
curry powder

Heat some oil into a heavy bottom pot/dutch oven on medium. When the oil is nice and hot add the chicken. Cook the chicken until there’s no more pink showing on the outside, about 3 minutes. The inside, however, should still be raw. Add all the salt and pepper and stir it around a bit. Then add the garlic, ginger, half the green onions, and red curry powder or paste. Stir that around until everything is coated in the seasonings.

curry with coconut milk

Add the coconut milk. Sometimes coconut milk separates in the can and you may need to whisk it together in a separate bowl to get it combined first. Stir the chicken, soy sauce, and coconut milk until combined. Then bring it to a nice simmer and turn down the heat slightly so it’s just barely simmering. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

add veggies
add green onions

At this point add all the veggies and stir them around until everything is coated. Bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until everything is soft and the chicken is cooked through.

Add the remaining green onions and, if desired, lime juice at this point and stir briefly. Serve over (or next to) rice!

close up

Kim's Thai Red Curry

  • Servings: 5
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
  • Print

A spicy, savory Thai Red Curry sauce with rice

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 large crown of broccoli
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic)
  • 2-3 tablespoons red curry powder (2 for mild, 3 for medium) or 3 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
  • 1.5 cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 1.5 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 2.5 cups rice
  • enough water to rinse and cover the rice

Directions

  1. Rinse the rice several times, add water up to your first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and press start on your rice cooker. Or cook according the manufacturer’s directions.
  2. Dice the red and green peppers into bite-size pieces. Chop the broccoli into small pieces, with most of the stalk removed.
  3. Slice the green onions into 1/4 inch pieces.
  4. Mince the fresh garlic and ginger.
  5. Dice the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
  6. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven on medium.
  7. When the oil is hot add the chicken and cook until there’s no more pink showing on the outside, about 3 minutes. The inside should still be raw.
  8. Add all the salt and pepper and stir to coat the chicken.
  9. Add the garlic, ginger, half the green onions, and red curry powder or paste. Stir until everything is coated in the seasonings.
  10. Add all the coconut milk, which may need to be whisked to combine in a separate bowl.
  11. Stir the chicken, soy sauce, and coconut milk until combined. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat slightly so it’s just barely simmering. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
  12. Add all the vegetables and stir until combined. Bring back up to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until everything is soft and the chicken is cooked through
  13. Add the remaining green onions and lime juice and stir briefly. Serve over rice!
Recipes

Meat Stew

by Teri Mae6 Comments on Meat Stew
Meat Stew

We’re back! We’re finally back! And you know what? It feels good.

Now, raise your hand if you, like me, prefer winter to summer. Really? That few? Come on! Winter is way better than summer. With that delightfully chilly weather, sweaters and sweatshirts, heated blankets, hot cocoa, and warm, thick soups. It’s the best time of year for most of my favorite things and I love it! Plus, there’s nothing like sitting near a window watching new-falling snow, reading a book under a cozy blanket, and drinking delicious hot chocolate. I’d take that over blistering heat and sweaty armpits everyday.

But enough about me, let’s get on to this stew, surely something we can all appreciate in the next few cold weather months.

Meat Stew
difficulty and time meter

So this recipe is a bit of a departure from the photo. Yes, they really just show three pictures of meat stew with varying degrees of large chunks. But I didn’t want to bore you or your tastebuds with a new take on my new favorite stew recipe. And since Link himself can make this with bird, let’s go along that route and make a thick, creamy chicken and wild rice soup.

I start with chicken breast. I mean, yes, the recipe calls for drumstick, but who has time to scrape meat off the drumstick bone? Certainly not me! So chop the chicken into 1 inch or smallerish pieces. Then dice your onion and get ready to cook!

fry the chicken
chicken and onion

Add some oil to the bottom of a large pot or (you knew I was going to say it) a dutch oven. Heat on medium high until hot. Add all your chicken at once, season with the salt and pepper, and cook until the outsides are nearly cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Add all the onion and stir together until the chicken is completely cooked on the outside, another 2 minutes max. This means no pink is showing on the outside, but they’ll definitely still be raw on the inside! We want that. It’ll mean the chicken with finish cooking with the rice and not get rubbery.

rice to the chicken

Add all the rice and stir and cook until the rice is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. It’s really not that much. It should only have been about 5 minutes from the time we first started cooking the chicken.

chicken, broth, herbs

Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and the remaining seasonings, and bring to a nice, rolling simmer. Nothing too fancy, just enough to be considered a simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes. Yes, I did say that correctly, and yes, it’s very specific. We are walking a fine line between cooked rice and rubbery chicken. I’ve found that 1 hour 15 minutes is kinda that happy medium. If it goes a little long, I don’t think it’ll ruin the dish. If it goes a little short, I hope you’re okay with slightly underdone rice.

carrots
celery

Meanwhile, chop the carrots and the celery. Add them all at once with another cup or two of the chicken broth at the end of the 1.25 hours. Bring to a simmer and then check for seasoning. Add more of anything (but mostly the salt and pepper) at this time.

flour
whisk and thicken

Then add the milk and flour. Whisk the soup together until all the flour is completely mixed in with no lumps. Allow to simmer and thicken for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. Serve in your favorite winter bowls and enjoy!

close up

Meat Stew

  • Servings: 5
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
  • Print

Creamy Chicken and wild rice stew with carrots and celery

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 5-6 cups chicken broth
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable (or other) oil

Directions

  1. Dice the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
  2. Dice the onion
  3. Add oil to the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Heat on medium high until hot.
  4. Add all the chicken at once, season with the salt and pepper, and cook until the outsides are nearly cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add all the onion and stir together until the chicken is completely cooked on the outside, another 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add all the rice and stir and cook until the rice is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. It should only be about 5 minutes from the time we first started cooking the chicken.
  7. Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and the remaining seasonings, and bring to a rolling simmer.
  8. Cover and let simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes.
  9. Chop the carrots and the celery while the stew is cooking.
  10. Add them all at once with another cup or two of the chicken broth at the end of the 1.25 hours. Bring to a simmer and check for seasoning, particularly salt and pepper.
  11. Add the milk and flour. Whisk the soup together until all the flour is completely mixed in with no lumps.
  12. Allow to simmer and thicken for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. Serve in your favorite winter bowls and enjoy!
Recipes

Monster Curry

by Teri Mae6 Comments on Monster Curry
Monster Curry

Guys, there’s no such thing as Monster Extract.  We all know this.  It’s severely disappointing, but it’s true.  So, after much deliberation, I decided that Monster Extract was simply going to be unusual ingredients thrown into regular meals that either A) dye the food a more purple color or B) add a unique/unexpected purple food to the meal.  The goal is to actually do both.  And while some recipes will require the use of food coloring to achieve the right effect, this one, I am proud to say, does not!  Now, to make that happen, this meal isn’t quite as purple as I wish it could have been.  But we make do…

Monster Currymonster cake meter

We need to start with the chicken and the marinade.  This allows the spices to mix together for long enough that the marinade takes on the flavor of the spices and they don’t taste quite so raw and it also allows the chicken to soak up the flavor of the marinade.  It’s like… giving the chicken the Zora Tunic – all of a sudden Link takes on the characteristics of the Zora and can breathe underwater.  Thank goodness.

So cut up the thigh meat (technically you can use breast, too, but thigh tends to retain moisture better) into 1/2 inch cubes.  Doesn’t have to be perfect, we just want them similar in shape so they cook at the same time.  Then peel and cut the garlic and fresh ginger.

add to the blender

Next we add all the spices, the tomato paste, and the yogurt to a blender (or food processor if you’re cool like that).  Blend until completely combined.  You may have to stop occasionally, even in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, and shake and scrape everything around to make sure the garlic and ginger get thoroughly chopped.

Add the spice mixture to a bowl with the chicken and stir to completely coat the chicken.  Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably 2.

When the chicken is nearly done marinating let’s take the onion, carrot, and beets, wash them, and dice them.  A word of caution – if you cut the beets into large or thick pieces they will take FOREVER to cook.  Don’t make my mistakes, cut them up nice and skinny.

Start the rice about the time you’re ready to start cooking.  We’ve gone over this – add rice, wash rice, add water, press start.  You guys are experts by this point!

When you’re done dicing and slicing, take the chicken out of the fridge to warm up a bit.  Add half the butter and oil to a pan – I prefer my good, old-fashioned cast iron pans.  I’m kind of obsessed with them…  When the butter is melted add the onion and cook for maybe 1-2 minutes.  Next add the carrots and beets and cook until they’re tender, about 10 minutes.

cook chicken

Remove the veggies from the pan and add the remaining butter and oil.  When the butter is, you got it, melted, add the chicken and all the marinade.  It feels like a lot.  It feels thick and goopy.  It feels weird.  But trust me, it all works out in the end.

add veggies back in

Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through.  Depending on the size of your chicken pieces it should take about 10 minutes.  Just make sure there’s no pink in the middle of a piece if you cut it open, okay?  Add back all the veggies and stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is nice and combined.

add the cream

At this point, add your heavy cream.  Stir and mix until it’s completely combined and then simmer for about 15 minutes.  We want to give the flavors time to combine and we want to give the curry time to change colors from yellow to… a more purplish yellow…  It’s all I could do, folks.

close up

Serve with the rice and be happy!

Link’s Monster Curry recipe:

    • Hylian Rice
    • Goron Spice
    • Monster Extract

Monster Curry

  • Servings: 5
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
  • Print

A chicken korma curry with beets and carrots


Recipe adapted from Indian Chicken Korma by Sabrina from Dinner Then Dessert

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
  • 5 medium carrots
  • 8-10 beets
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil i.e. canola
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2.5 cups dry rice
  • water to cook rice

Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1.5 tablespoon-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1.5 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more for a spicier meal)
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1.5 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1 1/4 cup greek yogurt

Directions

  1. Cut up the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch cubes.
  2. Add all the spices, tomato paste, and yogurt to a blender or food processor.
    3. Blend until completely combined, scraping down and mixing the sauce as needed.
  3. Add the spice mixture to a bowl with the chicken and stir to completely coat the chicken.  Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
  4. Wash and dice the onion, carrot, and beets. Dice the beets into thin, bite-size pieces in order to shorten cooking times.
  5. Start the rice when you’re ready to start cooking. Rinse the rice several times, add water up to your first knuckle of your finger when it rests on top of the rice, and press start on your rice cooker.
  6. Take the chicken out of the fridge to warm up while you cook the vegetables.
  7. Add half the butter and oil to a pan. When the butter is melted add the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and beets and cook until they’re tender, about 10 minutes.
  8. Remove the veggies from the pan.
  9. Add the remaining butter and oil. When the butter is melted add the chicken and all the marinade.
  10. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, ensuring there is no pink in the center of the chicken – about 10 minutes.
  11. Add back all the veggies and stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is combined.
  12. Add the heavy cream.  Stir and mix until it’s completely combined and then simmer for about 15 minutes.
  13. Serve with the rice and be happy!

Recipes

Prime Meat and Rice Bowl

by Teri Mae3 Comments on Prime Meat and Rice Bowl
Prime Meat and Rice Bowl

When I was a kid my cousins lived within a few blocks from us and nearly every Sunday was spent with them at our house or us at theirs for dinner.  And my very favorite thing my cousin made was homemade teriyaki chicken.  Delicious, incredible teriyaki chicken.  It was so good, and so special to her, that we called it Brenda-yaki chicken in honor of her.  Seriously.  It even says Brenda-yaki Chicken on my recipe card.  And I’m thrilled to share it with you because you’re going to love it, too!  You’ll like it.  So much that maybe you’ll call it *pause for dramatic effect* Teri-yaki chicken…

Prime Meat and Rice Bowl
time and difficulty

So lets start with the rice.  Honestly, this takes the longest, so lets get it going!  It’s just like the way we make rice in the Meat and Rice Bowl.  Simply add rice to the rice cooker, rinse several times, and add water until it covers up to the first joint in your pointer finger over the rice.  Turn it on.  And leave.  I really don’t know what I’d do without a rice cooker.

Next we need to cut the green onions into 1 inch-long strips.  Doesn’t have to be pretty, but it does need to come first.  You see, you could cut the chicken first and then cut the green onions, but you’d have to either dirty another knife and cutting board OR wash this one in between.  Let’s get real, folks, dishes are the worst.  So instead of taking all those extra steps (and in the name of food safety and Salmonella-less summers) we cut the onions and then the chicken!

Third, trim the excess fat off the chicken then slice it into strips about 1/2 inch wide and any length long.  That one’s a personal preference.  Now, let’s get real, I’m using boneless chicken thighs not because I prefer them, but because they’re what the recipe calls for.  You want it to be prime?  Gotta be chicken thighs.  So if you’d like to use chicken breasts, be my guest!  Though, now that I’ve used it, I may never go back – they were absolutely juicy and delicious!  I think I understand now why people sing the praises of thigh meat…

Okay – Focus!  Fourth is make the sauce.  Its pretty easy.  Measure out the sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder into a container.  Stir until combined, taste for garlic adjustments (I like my garlic to be strong!) and allow to sit, stirring occasionally, to dissolve the sugars.

all the ingredients

And now, once the rice is done and on the “warm” setting, of course, we cook.  Why do we wait until the rice is done?  Because this takes about 6-7 minutes to cook and you don’t want to wait for your rice to finish while your chicken is getting cold.

Remember that wok I told you to buy?  Well it would sure come in handy about now!  Let’s pull it out, shall we?… Oh wait… you didn’t buy it?… Fine.  Be that way.  Well you can easily make this recipe in a pan.  Would it be better in a wok?  Of course, don’t be ridiculous.  But you can do it in a pan just fine.  Just follow all the steps like normal, then sit in a corner and think about what you’ve done.

boiling sauceAdd oil to the pan/wok and half the green onions.  Turn the heat on high, as high as it’ll go (for a wok) or medium high (for a pan) and wait until the onions start popping.  Add the chicken, sprinkle on the salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until they’re no longer pink on the outside.  Add the remainder of the green onions and all of the teriyaki sauce (which, if you kept stirring it, should have all the sugar dissolved).  Stir until everything is coated and allow to boil and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken.  Be warned, if you cook this in a pan, you’ll want to do it in a tall pan (maybe even a pot).  The sauce foams like crazy when it boils and it’ll grow to about double it’s height.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the photo.

teriyaki chicken detail

When the sauce is thickened turn off the heat, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Link’s Prime Meat and Rice Bowl recipe:

        • Raw Prime Meat or Raw Bird Thigh
        • Hylian Rice
        • Rock Salt

Prime Meat and Rice Bowl

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Chicken Teriyaki with homemade sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs, boneless
  • 1 bunch (5-6) green onions
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sushi (Calrose) rice
  • enough water to cover the rice

Directions

  1. Rinse 2 cups of rice several times and then add to a rice cooker. Add water until the level is up to your first knuckle on your pointer finger when your finger is resting on top of the rice.
  2. Start the rice cooker
  3. Cut the green onions into 1 inch-long strips.
  4. Trim the excess fat from the chicken then it into strips about 1/2 inch wide and any length long. I prefer 2 inches long.
  5. Make the sauce by adding the sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder in a container.  Stir until combined, taste for garlic adjustments and allow to sit, stirring occasionally, to dissolve the sugars.
  6. When the rice is cooked heat a wok on high or a pan/pot on medium high.
  7. Add oil to the pan/wok and half the green onions.
  8. Add the chicken, sprinkle on the salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until they’re no longer pink on the outside.
  9. Add the remainder of the green onions and all of the teriyaki sauce (which, if you kept stirring it, should have all the sugar dissolved).
  10. Stir until everything is coated and allow to boil and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken.  Be warned, if you cook this in a pan, you’ll want to do it in a tall pan or pot as the sauce foams like crazy when it boils and it’ll double it’s height.
  11. When the sauce is thickened turn off the heat, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Recipes

Prime Poultry Pilaf

by Teri Mae10 Comments on Prime Poultry Pilaf
Prime Poultry Pilaf

As a working mom I am incredibly fond of easy make, easy clean up meals.  While I wish I could spend 5 hours making dinner every night, with fantastic results, I usually only have about an hour MAX to throw toward my favorite meal of the day.  And this recipe was so easy, and had so little hands-on time, it may become a new mid-week staple at our house.  Hey, if it’s good enough for Link, it’s good enough for me!

Prime Poultry PilafHeader and Meter

Start by taking the chicken out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you cook it.  Frankly, as a microbiologist, I cannot condone taking chicken out any earlier than that.  If you wanna know how I feel about poultry, as a microbiologist, find me on the twitter or the instagram…   But we do want to take the chill off the chicken before we cook it.  So 10 minutes is probably good.

seasoned chicken

Now here’s the normal drill: pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, rub with spices, and get ready for the most chill and delicious meal I’ve posted in a long, llloonnngggg time.

First and foremost, the easiest way to make this recipe is with a pan that can be used both on the stove and in the oven.  Cast iron, enameled cast iron, even some stainless steel pans can be used on the stove and in the oven.  I use an enameled cast iron pan for this and it made both making it and cleaning up a piece of cake.  If you don’t have anything that’ll work for both simply use a pan on the stove for the first part and we will get to the second part later.  But if you can possibly invest in an enameled cast iron braiser or pan, trust me, it’s worth it.

Second and secondmost, you’ll want to use a long grain, non-sticky rice for this recipe.  While I pledge my heart and soul to calrose sushi rice it simply doesn’t work for rice pilaf.  Jasmine rice or even long grain brown rice would work really well in this particular recipe.

Heat the oil in your chosen pan on medium.  When the oil is hot gently add the chicken by laying it away from you to prevent splashes.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the thigh.  Turn the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Using the side of your pan, lay the thighs up on each side for 1-2 minutes to sear in all the liquid.  You can do this by leaning them against each other and the side of the pan, then switching sides and repeating until all 6 sides (4 edges, 2 big sides) are seared.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate.

Add the chopped onion to the oil in the pan and cook until it begins to sweat, about 2-3 minutes.  At that point add the orzo pasta and continue stirring and cooking until the pasta begins to change color to a light brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the rice and cook until the rice is glistening, about 2-3 minutes.  Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of the chicken stock  and scrape hard at the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.  This will ensure all the delicious flavor (called fond) stuck at the bottom will be in your broth.  Add the remaining chicken stock and spices and stir.  Heat until simmering, stirring periodically.

add the chicken to the rice

Once the liquid is simmering gently lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture.  You want the chicken to rest on top of the rice, so gently is the key here.  Place the lid on the pan and put in the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes.  If you’re one of the poor, unfortunate souls (in pain, in need) who doesn’t have a pan that can transition between the stove and the oven oil an oven-safe pan that has a lid and transfer the liquid and rice to the pan.  Lay the chicken on top of the rice, cover, and place in the oven to bake.  This method may take 35-40 minutes to cook, because the pan isn’t hot going into the oven.  But don’t check the rice until 30 minutes.  At that point, if there is still liquid left, simply bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes until the liquid is gone.

check the rice

While the rice is cooking scramble an egg or two.  It’s as easy as heating up a small pan with the butter, adding two eggs, and pushing the eggs around until they’re set but not overcooked.  You got this.

After 30 minutes open the lid and check the rice for done-ness.  There should be no more liquid remaining and the rice should be nice and fluffy.  If you are worried about the chicken being cooked all the way through simply test it using an instant read thermometer.  The thighs should be at 165°F.  Add the eggs to the rice, mix, and fluff.  Serve with a side of veggies and enjoy!

chicken close up

Link’s Prime Poultry Pilaf recipe:

      • Raw Bird Thigh
      • Hylian Rice
      • Bird Egg
      • Goat Butter

Prime Poultry Pilaf

  • Servings: 5
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
  • Print

One-pot chicken thighs with rice pilaf

Chicken

  • 5 chicken thighs, can be with or without bones
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Rice

  • 1 small onion
  • 1/4 cup orzo pasta
  • 1 3/4 cup long grain rice, such as Jasmine rice
  • 3.5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you cook it.
  3. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and rub with the spice rub.
  4. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan, or any pan that can be placed in the oven with a lid.
  5. When the oil is hot gently add the chicken by laying it away from you to prevent splashes.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the thigh.  Turn the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Using the side of your pan, lay the thighs up on each side for 1-2 minutes to sear in all the liquid.  You can do this by leaning them against each other and the side of the pan, then switching sides and repeating until all 6 sides (4 edges, 2 big sides) are seared.  Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate.
  6. Add the chopped onion to the oil in the pan and cook until it begins to sweat, about 2-3 minutes.
  7. Add the orzo pasta and continue stirring and cooking until the pasta begins to change color to a light brown, about 2 minutes.
  8. Add the rice and cook until the rice is glistening, about 2-3 minutes.
  9. Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of the chicken stock and scrape hard at the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.  Add the remaining chicken stock and spices and stir.  Heat until simmering, stirring periodically.
  10. Once the liquid is simmering gently lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture. Place the lid on the pan and put in the oven.
  11. Bake for 30 minutes.
  12. While the rice is cooking heat up a small pan with the butter. When the butter begins bubbling add the two eggs and cook, stirring continually until they’re set but not overcooked.
  13. After 30 minutes open the lid and check the rice for done-ness.  There should be no more liquid remaining and the rice should be nice and fluffy.  If you are worried about the chicken being cooked all the way through simply test it using an instant read thermometer.  The thighs should be at 165°F.  Serve with a side of veggies and enjoy!

Recipes

Fried Egg and Rice

by Teri Mae3 Comments on Fried Egg and Rice
Fried Egg and Rice

It’s a breakfast kind of few weeks, I guess.  I’ve been slightly ignoring those recipes simply because I like to eat what I make and I really enjoy baking for breakfast.  Muffins, quick breads, waffles, pancakes, biscuits… Eggs aren’t exactly my thing.  But after this recipe eggs may be back on the mark for being my thing.  It was so delicious I even had it for lunch today.  So spoiler alert, if you like eggs and rice and happiness, you’ll love this!

Fried Egg and Ricedifficulty and time

This one is super easy, guys.  I’m going to give you the instructions for a single egg serving since that’s the pretty picture, but in reality you’ll want 2 eggs.  At least, I did.  And while there’s not really a sauce in the photo, I added one because I think eggs need more than just salt and pepper.

ingredients list

Amount of Water To Add to RiceLet’s start with the rice.  It’s as simple as “make your rice.”  Now, getting a little more complicated, I use a rice cooker exclusively.  I usually make about 2 cups of uncooked rice (which fluffs up to about 6 cups) at a time and then just refrigerate the rest for anything.  Tomorrow’s breakfast, fried rice, whatever.  It’s easy to use up extra rice.  But whether you make a lot or a little we are going to follow the instructions I mentioned in Meat and Rice Bowl recipe.  We start with good, proper sticky rice, usually some kind of sushi rice.  My favorite is Calrose from a childhood raised on it.  Rinse your rice three times to get rid of the super starchy outer coat, and then add water up to the first knuckle on your finger.  Turn on your rice cooker and let it go!

Now, we don’t want to start anything else until the rice is done, since the eggs cook so quickly.  So once the rice is done and sitting warm let’s get going!  You can add either butter or oil to the pan.  If oil, just enough to coat the bottom, and if, like me, you choose butter for the flavor and the slight fluffiness it gives eggs, then you’ll want 1/2 tablespoon per egg.  Turn your pan on to a medium low heat.  We don’t want anything too hot or the outer edges of the egg will cook far quicker than the center and you’ll end up with overcooked egg.  Place the butter in the pan and wait until it completely melts.  Once it does very carefully break your egg (or eggs) into the pan.  It’s very important that you are careful, because we want these eggs sunny-side-up, which mean the yolk needs to be intact.  If the yolk breaks, you may want to throw the egg away and start over.  It won’t be nearly as good without a runny yolk!  One way to make sure the yolk stays together is to crack your egg against a flat surface, like the counter, and then use two hands to gently pull it apart and slide it into the pan.  That’s how I do it!  If you break a few, no worries, you’ll get the hang of it!

bubbling egg edges

Once the egg is cracked and cooking we need to keep the heat at the perfect temperature.  It needs to be hot enough that the edges of the egg are bubbling a bit but cool enough that only the edges are bubbling.  Add the salt and pepper at this point, before the egg is set, and cook for 2-3 minutes.  If it looks like the center isn’t cooking at all the the outer edges are cooking too quickly just place a lid on the pan for about 30 seconds-1 minute to steam the center a bit.  Don’t leave the lid on too long or you’ll end up with over-easy eggs, not what we are looking for!

While the eggs are cooking measure out your soy sauce and add the ginger and garlic salt and stir until combined.  Pour the soy sauce on the bottom of a plate.  Add about 1-1.5 cups of cooked rice to the plate on top of the sauce.  When the egg(s) are cooked gently slide them from the pan on to the rice. Sprinkle with fresh, chopped chives.

close up of egg

Enjoy it while it’s hot!  And keep your pan ready… you may want seconds!

Link’s Fried Egg and Rice

    • Bird Egg
    • Hylian Rice

Fried Egg and Rice

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Sunny-side-up eggs over a bed of rice and ginger garlic soy sauce


Ingredients

  • 1 egg (you’ll probably want 2)
  • 1/2 tablespoon butter (1 if you cook 2 eggs)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 calrose rice
  • enough water to cover rice up to first knuckle on finger
  • 1/8 plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives (or 1/2 tablespoon dried chives)

Directions

  1. Rinse your rice three times. Place your finger gently on top of the rice and add water until the water level reaches your first knuckle joint. Turn on your rice cooker and wait until complete.
  2. Heat your pan on medium low and melt butter.
  3. Carefully crack your egg into the pan, ensuring the yolk stays intact. If the yolk breaks, you may want to throw the egg away and start over.
  4. Keep the heat on medium-low but adjust if necessary. It needs to be hot enough that the edges of the egg are bubbling a bit but cool enough that only the edges are bubbling.
  5. Add the salt and pepper at this point, before the egg is set.
  6. Cook for 2-3 minutes.  If it looks like the center isn’t cooking at all the the outer edges are cooking too quickly just place a lid on the pan for about 30 seconds-1 minute to steam the center a bit.
  7. While the eggs are cooking measure out your soy sauce and add the ginger and garlic salt and stir until combined.
  8. Pour the soy sauce on the bottom of a plate.  Add about 1-1.5 cups of cooked rice to the plate on top of the sauce.
  9. When the egg(s) are cooked gently slide them from the pan on to the rice. Sprinkle with fresh, chopped chives.

Recipes

Meat and Rice Bowl

by Teri Mae14 Comments on Meat and Rice Bowl
Meat and Rice Bowl

While the basics for this recipe are fairly straight-forward it had so much potential for embellishment that I’ve been chomping at the bit to make this one.  I decided to spice up Link’s recipe by adding a delicious garlic ginger sauce.  I’ve never used fish sauce before so when I found this recipe I was really unsure.  But with a little tweaking I was able to get something that I really loved.  And it made my house smell amazing for days.

Meat and Rice BowlDifficulty and Time Meter

This is the regular old meat and rice bowl so I decided to use sirloin, the easiest and, generally speaking, least expensive cut of steak.  But just because it’s less expensive and less tricky doesn’t mean it’s any less delicious when done right.  Pan-seared is the easiest and also my new favorite way to cook a steak and it lets me use my cast iron a lot more.   Let the steak come to room temperature – it sears a lot easier and cooks more evenly that way.

Meat and rice Bowl Ingredients

Amount of Water To Add to RiceStart the rice while the steak is warming up.  It’ll take the longest to cook and you want it to be ready and hot when your steak is done!  Definitely only use traditional Asian sticky rice.  I only use sticky rice exclusively for everything because it’s legitimately the only rice worth knowing.  I use Calrose Botan rice, but you can use any sticky rice in your market.  If you choose to use a rice cooker a nice trick to using sticky rice is to wash it several times before you cook it.  Rinse it under warm water, drain the water, and repeat until the drained water starts to look a little more clear.  Add water to the rice cooker until it comes up to the first knuckle joint of your index finger when your finger is resting on top of the rice… does that make sense?  If not, here’s a photo:

While everything else is cooking/getting ready to cook start chopping the other ingredients.  Using frozen ginger seriously makes it 1,000% easier to work so just pop the ginger in the freezer about an hour before you want to use it and it’ll be ready to go!  Mince the garlic, measure out the sauces, and grate the ginger using a zester (best option) or the small side of a cheese grater (good enough option).  Cut the green onions into 3/4-1 inch pieces and make sure the slab of butter is ready and you’re all set!

When the steak isn’t cold use a paper towel to dry the steak as much as you can and then rub it with rock salt and pepper.  Drying the steak is a great trick to making it sear much better.  Trust me, it’s worth the extra effort.

Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a pot, whisk thoroughly, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  At this point you can start cooking the steak if you feel comfortable.  Otherwise let the sauce thicken and blend and remove from the heat.  We will heat it back up after the steak is done.

While the steak is marinating for a minute in the salt and pepper, heat up the pan until piping hot (this is where the cast iron comes in handy).  When it’s ready add a little oil, but really, make sure it’s just enough to barely coat the bottom of the pan!  We don’t want our steaks swimming in oil.  It’ll ruin the beautiful sear.  Add the steak to the pan, laying it down away from you to prevent any oil splashes and painful burns.

Meat_&_Rice_Bowl_11

After the steak has seared for a minute or two turn the steak to caramelize the fat by placing them fat-side-down in the pan for a minute or two.  Then swap to all the other sides, following the same protocol of searing, turning, searing.  Finally lay the steak down flat on the last raw side and let it sear for a few minutes.  The remainder of cooking the steak is based on several factors: 1) how thick your steak is and 2) how well done you want it.  If your steaks are on the thinner side or you want your steak a little more raw you may be ready to spoon on the butter at this point.  If your steaks are thick or you like them well-done alternate cooking them on each of their flat sides until they are medium rare to medium.  Add the butter and onions all at once and start spooning the melted butter and cooking onions over the steak.  When the steaks are medium (or cooked to your preference, I just prefer medium!) remove them from the pan, cover with foil, and let rest for a few minutes.  Continue cooking the onions in the butter until they are done and remove them from the heat.

Phew. Take a deep breath, you’ve finished the most nerve-wracking part of the recipe!  Take it a little easy for a minute and, while the steaks are resting, quickly re-heat the sauce.  When you slice the steak slice it against the grain.  It’ll make a smoother, easier, and much more aesthetically pleasing cut!  Spoon out the rice into a bowl, add the steak, drizzle on the sauce, and enjoy!

Close up of Meat and Rice Bowl

Link’s Meat and Rice Bowl

    • Any raw meat or bird drumstick
    • Rock salt
    • Hylian rice

Meat and Rice Bowl

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

Sirloin steak with sticky rice and a garlic ginger sauce

Recipe adapted from Garlic-Ginger Flank Steak by Judy Kim on delish.com

Steak

  • 4 Sirloin steaks, warmed to room temperature
  • 2-3 Green onions, sliced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1-2 tablespoons rock or kosher salt
  • 1-2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter
  • 2-3 cups sticky rice
  • Enough hot water to cover the rice

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions

  1. Start cooking the rice
  2. Dry the steaks with a paper towel and rub with the rock salt and pepper until well coated.
  3. Add all the sauce ingredients to a sauce pan, whisk thoroughly, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 5-7 minutes until thickened.
  4. Heat the cast iron pan until piping hot. Add the oil and then add the steaks to the pan, laying it down away from you to prevent any oil splashes.
  5. Allow the steak to sear for a minute or two and then turn the steak on it’s side, fat side down. Allow the steak to sear until the fat is caramelized.
  6. Repeat step 5 on all sides until the steak is completely seared.
  7. If the steak needs more time to cooks due to thickness or how you’d like it cooked, continue turning the steak every few minutes until it is nearly done.
  8. When the steak is nearing completion add the butter and green onions to the pan. Spoon the melted butter over the steaks until they are the appropriate temperature.
  9. Remove the steaks from the pan and cover with foil to let them rest.
  10. Continue cooking the onions until wilted and then remove them from the pan.
  11. Slice the steak into strips against the grain and serve over rice. Drizzle the sauce over the steak and rice and enjoy!