First Fried Rice!!!

Yes I know, this is not fried rice. I just wanted to sneak in a picture of the Japanese curry I made last week because it was YUMS! =D

I’m so exuberant right now because both Jeu and Pri loved my broccoli & chicken fried rice! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!! I don’t know why I have this obsession with trying to get everyone to eat my food. Perhaps part of it is because I seek appraisal from others so that I could try to improve my cooking. Perhaps I’m fishing for compliments and approval from my friends who I know wouldn’t be harsh critics. I’m not sure… but there is something about cooking for people that brings me an oddly heartwarming joy.

I think that I am just a food-cation that wants to donate my electrons (food) onto anions (friends) to forge a super-strong ionic bond (that is not in solvent of course). Please pardon my silly Orgo analogies…

Anyways, my fried rice was pretty simple. I used 3 broccoli crowns broken apart, some previously seared chicken breast from a day ago, and leftover fluffy rice.

Minced 4 cloves of garlic, though now I wish I put more because you could never have too much garlic. (They have very long shelf life and has tons of health benefits in addition to tasting awesome!)

I sauteed the broccoli in some garlic, oil, and salt on high heat, simple enough. Then I tossed in the chicken, poured in some sesame oil (very fragant and rich flavor). I let it cook for a while and then added the rice, mixing in soy sauce for extra flavor and coloration. But the most important thing to keep in mind is stove control, which means knowing when to simmer and when to turn it up.

The end result:

Success!

I think I did a fairly decent job. The broccoli was crunchy but cooked thoroughly, the rice was fluffy but mildly oily, but I feel like the chicken could have been done better. I also wish I had put the garlic in later to add extra flavor to the dish. However, I was surprised at how balanced the flavor was. Jeu praised me for flavor consistency and Pri claimed it was restaurant-worthy. This was flattering and encouraging, but I’m determined to do a better job next time (and then I can feed even more people!)