With so many people already trying their hand at baking or finally learning how to cook, one thing that you can also start doing in the kitchen now is to start experimenting with the dishes you can make from all of the ingredients you have at hand.
One way you can spice up your homecooked meals is by adding a twist to your daily servings of plain, white rice. Just like the sinangag that we love, there are many ways to experiment with cooked rice and leftovers from your previous meals. Here are some rice recipes and combinations you can try.
Luncheon Meat Fried Rice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVUpv54AFnM
Similar to sinangag, this recipe requires eggs, luncheon meat, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and ground black pepper. You can also put sweet corn kernels, frozen green peas and chopped carrots—and yes, a pack of frozen mixed vegetables can also do.
Day-old cooked rice kept in the refrigerator is ideal, since this recipe calls for rice that isn’t sticky as to maximize the flavor of the added meat and vegetables. Aside from luncheon meat, you can also modify this recipe by using Vienna sausage or hotdogs.
Mixed Meat and Vegetable Fried Rice
Another easy-to-make and customizable dish is this mixed meat and vegetable fried rice. You can start by following this recipe which includes bacon, egg, soy and sesame oil, carrots, leek which can also be substituted by garlic or sweet onion, cabbage and dried mushrooms—or you can also change the meat and/or vegetables included in the mix depending on what you have in your kitchen.
Yang Chow
No need for Chinese takeout just to fulfill your yang chow cravings—because you can easily make it at home by mixing refrigerated day-old rice with barbecued pork, soy sauce, salt, shelled and deveined shrimp, green peas, green onion, eggs, sugar, ginger, garlic and cooking oil as ingredients.
Bagoong Fried Rice
Bagoong is more than just a dip—in fact, you can use this classic Filipino condiment to add a twist to your rice meal by mixing it with garlic, egg, chopped spring or green onions and salt.
Omu Rice
This Western-inspired Japanese dish is actually very easy to make at home. Although it’s basically an omelet and rice dish, one thing that makes it interesting is its presentation. To make this, all you need are… cooked rice, skinless chicken breast, onion, mushrooms, eggs, cooking oil, ketchup, salt and pepper in order to serve this creamy and flavorful dish.
Arroz Rojo
If you have tomatoes in your pantry, then you should try making this popular Mexican side dish by simply sauteeing some tomatoes with garlic, onion and rice. Those who don’t have fresh tomatoes can use tomato paste instead.
To add more flavor, you can also add some corn for some sweetness, or any kind of peppers like chipotle to make it spicy. Arroz rojo is also best served with meat, seafood or vegetables
Header photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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