Asian Stir Fried Rice

This meal is a quick and easy dish that never fails on tasting great! The key ingredient to making this taste so good is using full sodium soy sauce. I do not recommend using the reduced sodium flavors, it will ruin the taste of this dish. I always use the Kikkoman  brand flavor when I make this dish. I prefer a type of soy sauce that I am unable to find in America, but Kikkoman is definitely the closest thing to it. I think that in terms of soy sauce flavor, I would discourage you from buying the La Choy soy sauce, I find the flavor to not be the best to cook with. Enjoy the dish!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked white rice (1 cup uncooked rice, leftover rice works well in this dish, brown rice can be substitued if you are unable to eat white rice)
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 cup peas, cooked
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons oil or butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Method:

1. Cook rice according to instructions on package
2. Boil the carrots and peas until soft
3. Stir fry the garlic, onions, and ginger in hot oil until cooked
4. Add the cooked rice, peas, carrots, and soy sauce to the onion mixture and mix well
5. When the rice is fried a little and all ingredients are warm, make 3-4 holes in the middle of the rice mixture. Add the beaten eggs to the holes
6. When the eggs begin to cook, stir the egg into the ingredients. Allow mixture to sit and then stir about every 25 seconds to ensure the egg is being cooked throughout the dish
7. If the eggs are completed cooked, the meal is ready to be served

Lo Mein

I really miss having Chinese food here in Tanzania.  That salty, soy sauce goodness is something your body really begins to miss (or is it just the MSG?).  There’s a great little store where we bank and use internet that has some non-Tanzanian goods to sell.  I was psyched to find soy sauce and make Lo Mein.  I was even happier to discover that this soy sauce is far better than the soy sauce purchased in America.  We make Asian fried rice and Lo Mein with it mostly.  This recipe is so good that if you ever decide to not order Chinese and to try to make it, here it is:
Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound uncooked spaghetti noodles
  
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 green pepper, chopped
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1” piece of ginger, peeled and minced
  
• green onion and cilantro optional
  
• 1/2 cup cooked green peas
  
• mushroom (optional)
  
• oil for frying

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional, but I would recommend starting out with less and seeing if you want to add this much)
  
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
  
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
  
• salt to taste (I’ve used as little as 1/4 teaspoon and as much as 1 teaspoon)

Method:

1. Cook noodles according to directions on the packet.
   
2. Heat tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic and ginger, then add onions, green peppers, carrots.  Then, add cooked peas and any other veggies you may have chosen to include.
   
3. Mix all the ingredients of the sauce together in a large bowl
   
4. Add boiled noodles and sauce to the large frying pan.  Stir fry for five minutes.  If you wish, you can add cilantro and green onion at this point.
   
5. Stir for a few more seconds with all ingredients together and remove from heat!
    

Serves approximately 2-3 adults.

Butter Tofu Curry

This is a "cheat" recipe.  You see, we buy this butter chicken curry paste out of a box and make it into butter tofu curry by adding tofu, not chicken.  It's cheating because it's out of the box.   My ex-boss told me about this paste and it's such a wonderful taste and so quick to make!

I don't know what the recipe on the back of the box actually tells you to do, but all we do is follow the directions for water and use the ingredient list below:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter only (about half of the recommended butter)
• 1/2 bag frozen green peas
• 14 oz. extra firm tofu
• rice to serve (about 1.5 cups)
• 2 boxes of the butter chicken curry paste

Method:

1. Begin cooking the rice according to instructions 
2. In a large saucepan, stir together the butter chicken curry paste, recommended water on the back of the box, and butter.  Wait until it boils.
3. Meanwhile, cut the tofu into small pieces (like cubes)
4. Add peas and tofu
5. Cook together for approximately 8-10 minutes
6. Serve over rice

This is what the box looks like: