China Talk Tuesday - Using Up Leftovers

OK, this is totally cheating. I don't care. I've spent all morning baking, and somehow...baking bread just doesn't put me in a China frame of mind. Go figure! (There's something for you - hardly anyone has an oven in Hong Kong. I've heard Paris has the same phenomenon. The kitchens are simply too small, and Chinese cuisine doesn't require an oven. If you want something that requires an oven...walk halfway down the block, and buy it!)

That was a freebie. Here's what I really wanted to share today - how to use up leftovers, Chinese-style.

I recently heard of a very creative approach - Mix some cooked rice with tempura sauce (or watered down soy sauce would work as well) and spread it into a casserole dish. Dump whatever Chinese food leftovers you might have from your most recent Take Out Feast on top of rice, and bake it at 350 until heated through. Voila! Chinese Casserole!

Since there aren't any ovens in Hong Kong, I'll give you a more traditional approach as well - make fried rice. This dish is ridiculously easy, provided you do all your prep work ahead of time.

You can go here to find my recipe. Basically, gather up cooked and cooled rice (fresh rice is too soft), any leftover meat, some vegetables, eggs, ginger, garlic...oh, and you'll need some sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil to finish it off with. You can use raw meat and cook it in the first phase, or you can use cooked meat and throw it in to heat up after the vegetables are done cooking. Either way, you'll be in front of the stove for about 15-20 minutes. Assuming you can chop fast, add 10 minutes for prep work...and voila! 30 minutes to an easy dinner, and nobody will cry "leftovers, again?!"

Now I'm going to go bask in the scent of freshly baked bread, and finish up a baby shower gift for one of Lo Gung's co-workers. (No peeking, Shannon!)