Some of the most delicious and iconic foods come from people being confronted with what to do with leftovers. Take french toast for instance. In medieval times, the french found that baguettes did not have a very long shelf life and went stale quickly. So, they sliced up their stale baguettes and dipped them in some egg and fried themselves the now famous breakfast dish. The list of leftovers turned wonderful ranges from meatloaf to bread pudding. But today I was confronted with a very specific leftover problem; rice. Why is it that not matter how much Chinese food you order or how many people are eating it, there is always extra rice? It's one of many mysteries about take out Chinese food that I'm still trying to figure out. Like, why 20 minutes after you've eaten Chinese take out are you hungry again? And, who was General Tso? Is he pleased that his legacy is due to his recipe for chicken rather than his battlefield prowess? One way or another I had too much rice. Two and a half containers to be exact. Between the following two recipes I only got through about 1 3/4 cartons.
First let me say. I never understood the point of making fried rice with left over rice. If I've just eaten Chinese food the night before am I going to want it again? Probably not. So I did my best stray from that path. Although I did use a wok for one of my recipes.
Dirty Rice
This dish is great because you can use whatever you have in your fridge/pantry, so this version is just a reflection of what I had on hand.
1 carton leftover rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno minced
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Place a work or large pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once it starts smoking add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic.
Saute for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the corn, beans and chicken and mix well. When it is all heated through add the rice and stir. When incorporated add the chicken broth, salsa, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Mix every minute or so until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is heated through. Serve with chopped cilantro.
But that was not the end of my ricecapade. I still had one and a half cartons left and I was only able to use half of the remaining rice. So I made dessert.
Rice Pudding
3 cups of leftover rice
4 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
7-8 cardamom pods lightly crushed (optional)
In a pot over medium heat bring the rice, milk, and sugar to a boil. When it has reached a boil set the heat to low and add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let the mixture simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed. Serve either hot or cold.
First let me say. I never understood the point of making fried rice with left over rice. If I've just eaten Chinese food the night before am I going to want it again? Probably not. So I did my best stray from that path. Although I did use a wok for one of my recipes.
Dirty Rice
This dish is great because you can use whatever you have in your fridge/pantry, so this version is just a reflection of what I had on hand.
1 carton leftover rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno minced
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Place a work or large pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once it starts smoking add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic.
Saute for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the corn, beans and chicken and mix well. When it is all heated through add the rice and stir. When incorporated add the chicken broth, salsa, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Mix every minute or so until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is heated through. Serve with chopped cilantro.
But that was not the end of my ricecapade. I still had one and a half cartons left and I was only able to use half of the remaining rice. So I made dessert.
Rice Pudding
3 cups of leftover rice
4 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
7-8 cardamom pods lightly crushed (optional)
In a pot over medium heat bring the rice, milk, and sugar to a boil. When it has reached a boil set the heat to low and add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let the mixture simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed. Serve either hot or cold.
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