swimming rama
I seem to be on a kick for making swimming rama for dinner. I'm trying to get it right, see.
new things that work well:
- parboiling the chicken pieces in a spiced mix of water and oil, allowing the water to evaporate off and then lightly frying to prepare it for the rest, instead of cooking by frying just in oil.
- putting the rice on to cook before starting mise en place for the rest.
- simmering the cooked chicken in a big old squirt of sauce, tossing a fistful of baby spinach into the pan to cover up the chicken and sauce like a blanket, putting a lid on the whole thing, letting it steam/bubble/cook up for just a minute, sprinkling the gently wilted spinach with a dash of rice vinegar, and then turning the whole mess over onto plated rice. Not pretty, but good.
- bottled peanut sauce, since it removes that much simmering down, though the brand available in the nearby stores lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. I am guessing the quoi is a dose of lime juice - it needs a brighter flavor note. So I should add that, since I have that. I'm not *completely* obsessed with making from scratch, just mostly.
not so great:
- adding salt to the water. just makes the whole thing too salty.
- chili powder (in fact, chili powder from a bottle older than some of my cousins; I know, I know) instead of crushed red pepper flakes.
- bottled peanut sauce, since it will never be quite as fabulous-awesome as fresh sauce.
I had a shit day, after all the aforementioned plus a meeting at 6:30. Retail therapy in the form of shiny new books. The Women of Design and a cookbook for quick dinners, since I have been running out of ideas for feeding myself. I caved and bought one by Rachael Ray, largely because the vegetarian section was not just fifty variations on soup and rice pilaf, and slightly because of pretty pictures. I have to disagree with her emphasis on top-shelf extra-virgin olive oil as a frying oil for everything, but approve of snarky comments in an ingredients list.
new things that work well:
- parboiling the chicken pieces in a spiced mix of water and oil, allowing the water to evaporate off and then lightly frying to prepare it for the rest, instead of cooking by frying just in oil.
- putting the rice on to cook before starting mise en place for the rest.
- simmering the cooked chicken in a big old squirt of sauce, tossing a fistful of baby spinach into the pan to cover up the chicken and sauce like a blanket, putting a lid on the whole thing, letting it steam/bubble/cook up for just a minute, sprinkling the gently wilted spinach with a dash of rice vinegar, and then turning the whole mess over onto plated rice. Not pretty, but good.
- bottled peanut sauce, since it removes that much simmering down, though the brand available in the nearby stores lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. I am guessing the quoi is a dose of lime juice - it needs a brighter flavor note. So I should add that, since I have that. I'm not *completely* obsessed with making from scratch, just mostly.
not so great:
- adding salt to the water. just makes the whole thing too salty.
- chili powder (in fact, chili powder from a bottle older than some of my cousins; I know, I know) instead of crushed red pepper flakes.
- bottled peanut sauce, since it will never be quite as fabulous-awesome as fresh sauce.
I had a shit day, after all the aforementioned plus a meeting at 6:30. Retail therapy in the form of shiny new books. The Women of Design and a cookbook for quick dinners, since I have been running out of ideas for feeding myself. I caved and bought one by Rachael Ray, largely because the vegetarian section was not just fifty variations on soup and rice pilaf, and slightly because of pretty pictures. I have to disagree with her emphasis on top-shelf extra-virgin olive oil as a frying oil for everything, but approve of snarky comments in an ingredients list.