Happy Friday everyone!!
I hope you have had a nice week....... I’ve been cooking a lot lately – Thai, Korean, American. Of course when you cook a lot, you might have leftovers in your fridge. I always cook extra rice because you can add it to your leftovers and make an easy fried rice dish. There’s no right or wrong way to make fried rice. The main ingredients are garlic and onion (red or yellow onion), eggs, meat (ham, turkey, shrimp or any leftover meat) and cooked rice.
Each country has a different variation of fried rice based on the culture. In Asia, the more famous fried rice dishes include Yangzhou Fried Rice (Chinese) and Thai Fried Rice.
Chinese - uses soy sauce and scallion with Chinese sausage and Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue pork) Thai- uses fish sauce, white pepper and cilantro, served with cucumber and chile fish sauce. Indonesian - (Nasi Goreng) uses sweet soy sauce, shallot, tamarind and ikan asin (salted dried fish) serve with a traditional cracker (krupuk) and pickles
The best way to cook fried rice is your mom's way. Every time I make fried rice, I remember my mom teaching me her way. These are tips from my mom that I would like to share with you.
Tip #1 Use leftover cooked rice Leave it in the fridge overnight or if you don't have leftover, leave it out in room temperature for 1-2 hours to remove the moisture and soggy texture. Tip #2 Add eggs - Push all the ingredients to the side, add eggs and scramble until they form up (not too soggy). Cook eggs separate from meat, onion and garlic to remove moisture out of eggs and decrease mushy texture. It is easy and simple, just use these tips for the perfect texture. I hope you enjoy my mama’s Thai fried rice recipe. See all ingredients listed below. Have a good weekend everyone! XOXO Natty
Ingredients
1 pound marinated* chicken thigh 1/4 cup chopped onion 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 cups leftover cooked rice 2-3 tablespoons light soy sauce (can substitute with salt or soy sauce) 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 green onion, thinly sliced 1/4 chopped cilantro, plus some for garnish *Marinated chicken 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (can substitute with soy sauce) 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Steps
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Hi everyone ..... Happy Tuesday :)
I have smoothie every morning- Packed of healthy ingredients( green apple, pineapple, banana, lime, beet juice, avocado and wheat grass ). What do you have in your smoothie ? Since I have some coconut left over from the baking...... I came up with this special recipe after I baked Moist and Delicate Coconut Layers Cake. I had a lot of coconut milk left. So I played around with some healthy smoothie recipes.
Ingredients
1 cup blueberry 1 cup coconut milk half green apple, cut into cubes 4 drops Organic Liquid Stevia 1 tablespoon flaxseed 1 teaspoon vanilla Steps In the blender, mix blueberry, coconut milk, green apple, stevia, flaxseed and vanilla. Blend all ingredients until smooth- about 1 minute. Have a nice week :) Natty Dear everyone, I hope you are enjoying a nice summer ........ There are a lot of fun activities everywhere in my city, Chicago. And I am sure your city has a ton of stuff too. Please share some of your favorite festivals in your home town : )... and these are some festivals I went to last weekend. I love the City !!!! Summer time in Chicago is a lot of fun- so many activities to do. Music Festivals, Food Festivals, Chicago Runs, Kayaking, Concerts, Bars & Clubs, Restaurant Patios, Art Festivals, Shows, Kids and Family Fests, etc
Last week I checked out 2 festivals : Squareroots Fest
Folk music and a calm nice evening with a good friend to hang out on the weekend what a nice weekend. That night we watched ; On the South Stage: The Cactus Blossoms traditional country songs from Brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum. On the North Stage: The Robbie Fulks's Bluegrass Explosion , Mr. Fulks has taught for years at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. He is a guitarist who has a sense of humor. Listen to their music- what a treat....
Arts and foods were line along the way ..
And of course we didn't forget the show for kids .....Puppet show by Jack Dukes
I have been looking forward to the Burger fest to try those yummy burgers from different restaurants and vendors ...... We got there late so a lot of them were sold out. I had burger from Rockit Bar- it was juicy, a great portion and had bold flavor.
2015 Participating Burger Vendors - Square Bar & Grill -Select Cut Steakhouse -Rockit Burger Bar -Reggie's Rock Club/Music Joint -Red Door Chicago -McGee's Tavern & Grille -Hackney's -Flo Café & Bar -D.S. Tequila Company -Cortland's Garage -Butcher & The Burger -Blue Agave Restaurant Have a great weekend everyone :) XOXO Natty
Last weekend was the 4th of July weekend. The weather was perfect for Barbecues, parties, cook outs, fireworks and get togethers with friends and family. On the 4th of July morning, I woke up early, started my coffee maker making Columbian coffee with infused butter scotch. I spent my morning with a cup of coffee, Flaxseed bread toast with butter and read my favorite magazines ( Food & Wine Magazine & Bon Appétit Magazine ). It was a pleasant, comforting and harmonious morning to spend time by myself and read about what I love.
Then I started packing up some beach clothes, sunglasses, books, sandals, sunscreen, food, etc for a weekend trip which I got invited by my friends Yui & John, They have a vacation house in New Buffalo town in Michigan .
For 1 and a half hour drive, I arrived to the two-story lake house with a giant pool in the back. The smell of sand, sound of waves and the cool air welcomed me to the nice and relaxing weekend. I feel so lucky that I have friends who welcomed me to this fantastic paradise place. I was so happy to be here.
The sunset on the 4th of July evening settled me into calm and relaxing time with my camera and the sound of waves.... We ended the night with fireworks, flavorful sausages ( Riviera Italian Imported Foods), a glass of wine ( dark horse : Cabernet: very fruity, blackberry, plum, blueberry. and a touch of tobacco) and ice cream (Oink's Ice Cream and Yogurt : rocky road and pistachio. I highly recommend pistachio. You might go nuts with its creamy, nutty, pistachio flavor.
I am a foodie girl, and food is visible everywhere I go, especially on weekend vacations. It doesn't matter how long the vacation is, food will be cooked and served non stop. It seems they are sharing this common thing with me. They served food non stop, I thought I was a little pink pig :) ..... I am happy to be fed ...
On the delightful Sunday the sound of waves was telling me to keep sleeping and resting, but the smell of warm rice soup, ribs flavor, cilantro, celery, green onion and a touch of garlic kept waking me up. The plan for this morning was "Comforting Pork Ribs and Rice Soup" : my mom's recipe from childhood.
Let me tell you ... Everyone was thrilled after trying this yummy soup.... I would like to share this with you ....... Thank you Ma Ma !!! I had this soup every Sunday morning... That is right, you heard it right! Sunday Breakfast ..... I started with Ribs :-) It is not as heavy as it sounds ... I think this is a kind of comfort food for me. Warm soup gets my morning started with a touch of seasoning herbs and ribs. My mom makes sure that we have enough protein throughout the day. :) What I like about this soup is you can season and adjust the taste on your own just like in other Thai dishes such as noodle soup, congee soup( porridge soup ) or rice soup served with condiments ( fish sauce, sugar, chili vinegar or dry chili flakes) on the side. Comforting Pork Ribs and Rice Soup
Ingredients
1 cup Thai Jasmine rice 2 pounds Pork Ribs tip, cut in 1 inch diameter 10 cups Chicken Broth 2 cups water 1/4 cup cilantro, thinly slice 1/4 cup Green onion,thinly slice 1/4 cup celery leafs 4 cloves Garlic, cut in a half 3 stalk Celery, cut in 3 inch diameter 2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce 1 teaspoon White Pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar crunchy pan fried garlic bits condiments
Steps
In the large pot over high heat bring water to boil. Add pork ribs bring it to boil, in about 2 minute. The reason boil with water first, to prevent the blood that come out of the ribs while you cooking. So the broth come out clear. Place the ribs to the medium bowl and set on the side. In the large pot over high heat bring chicken broth, celery and garlic to boil. Turn the heat down to medium low, add ribs, light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper and salt. Let it simmer for an hour. Take the celery and garlic out of the pot. Turn the heat up to medium, add Thai Jasmine rice for 10 minute. Keep stirring every 3 or 4 minute to prevent rice stick on the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat, add cilantro, green onion and celery leafs. Serve soup with crunch pan fried garlic bits on top and condiment on the side. |
AuthorHi, I am Natty! And Thank you for stopping by!! I am a foodie girl who has a passion for cooking, exercise and photography. There are so many favorite recipes from my family and friends I have tried throughout my journey that balances out and makes a healthy meal. I would like to take you on a journey to a different pantry around the world to share my favorite stories and recipes. My hope is that they inspire and benefit you. "You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. That's the burden.Like wings, they have weight, we feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens which allow us" Bones Don't wait for the perfect moment,take the moment and make it perfect. - Zoey Sayward- Archives
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