Long beans (chang dou) are a popular vegetable at many Chinese restaurants. I seldom cook them at home, because they're kind of a tough vegetable and require a LOT of oil to stir fry until tender. Yesterday, it occurred to me that I should try what I often do with broccoli: blanch for two minutes in salt water, drain, and then stir fry. This worked reasonably well. The long beans still weren't as delicious as at a good restaurant, but at least I could eat a whole bowl without feeling sluggish.
Today, I took the leftover long beans and made a simple fried rice. I warmed up a bowl of rice and the long beans in a nonstick skillet. I added a pinch of salt, plenty of white pepper, and a spoonful of my favorite hot sauce. When the rice was warmed through, I pushed it to the sides of the skillet and poured a little oil in the center well I'd created. In went an egg, which I let set up for about fifteen seconds before scrambling with the rice. In under ten minutes, dinner was done. Visually appealing? No, not really. Easy? Definitely.
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