Chicken and Veggie Rice

[zhemao]

Revisiting my chicken and mushroom rice recipe from before. This is a simpler recipe (assuming you already have stock prepared) that you can whip up on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients:

• White rice
• Carrots
• Mushrooms (Crimini or Shiitake)
• Scallions
• Boneless chicken (breast or thigh)
• Dashi stock (or chicken stock)
• Salt
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine
• Sugar
• White pepper
• Garlic salt

Directions:

1. Thoroughly wash a cup of rice in cold water until the water runs clear.
2. Drain the rice, then add a cup of dashi stock and let it soak for 30 min.
3. Meanwhile, peel a carrot and julienne the top. You don't need the whole carrot.
4. Rinse a few handfuls of mushrooms in cold water. Slice the caps into thin strips and chop the stems into small chunks.
5. Put the vegetables in a container and mix with a pinch of salt.
6. Cut a chicken thigh or half a chicken breast into largish cubes.
7. Season the chicken with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, pepper, and garlic.
8. Let the chicken and veg marinate for 15 min.
9. Add a half teaspoon of salt to the rice and mix.
10. Place the marinated chicken on top of the rice in a single layer.
11. Place the vegetables on top of the chicken.
12. Turn on the rice cooker and let it cook.
13. When the rice is nearly finished cooking, throw in a handful of scallions.
14. When the rice is done, carefully mix the ingredients with the rice paddle, then serve.

And that's it. A simple but flavorful one-pot dish. I find that if you let the rice sit in the fridge overnight, it will become even more delicious as the flavors seep into the rice.

Sardine Spaghetti

[zhemao]

I'm always looking for creative ways of using up leftover ingredients from making dashi stock. This is one I came up with last morning. I guess it's a bit like spaghetti alla putanesca.

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti
• Pre-cooked sardines
• Pre-steeped bonito flakes
• Tomato paste
• Garlic
• Salt
• Sugar
• Black Pepper
• Pecorino
• Vegetable oil (or olive oil)

Directions:

1. Cook the spaghetti in salted water until just shy of al dente, so a minute less than indicated on the package.
2. Peel and finely chop a clove of garlic.
3. Dissolve some tomato paste in a bit of hot water and mix in a teaspoon of sugar.
4. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, lift it out of the water and into a bowl. Mix in a bit of oil to keep it from sticking. Reserve the pasta water for later.
5. Add a bit of oil to a pan and bring it up on medium heat. Stir-fry the garlic, sardines, and bonito flakes until fragrant.
6. Add the dissolved tomato paste and dilute it with some pasta water.
7. Once the water comes to boil again, add the noodles and stir until most of the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.
8. Transfer the pasta to a bowl or plate and top with grated pecorino and black pepper.