Rosie would be proud -- and so would Tom N-D.

I think I ran out of steam on my Tom N-D project shortly after I felt like I exhausted all my stir-fry avenues. I was getting sick of chopping and soy sauce and boiling rice. I just couldn't do it anymore. Having Rosemary bring the stir-fry ingredients a couple of weeks ago showed me the greatness of wok action yet again.

Rafa and I only had a couple of hours together yesterday, but I thought I'd at least feed us, something which I haven't done in a very long time. Our collection of take-out menus is growing, by the way. I took out some pork chops to defrost and flipped through the Healthy Eating supplement Delicious included in their February 2007 issue. There was a recipe for Fast Asian Fish, but I didn't have fish in the house. The good news was that I did have the condiments, and at least some veggies to work with too.

So I marinated the pork for only an hour in soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, garlic and ginger. The chilli sauce was spicier than I had thought, so my thoughts of just grilling the pork went out the window. Instead, I just cut up the pork into thin pieces, a la Rosemary's stir-fried beef, and also chopped up some red pepper, a carrot and a couple of spring onions. I used Rosemary's technique for doing the stir-fry. Frying the pork first, then setting aside. Then, I added the chopped veggies -- when they were getting close to soft, I returned the pork to the pan, heated it through, with a dollop of soy and hoisin sauces, and served it up. Of course, I did make some rice to go with it; thankfully, I've overcome my disdain for it.

The stir-fry turned out fabulous!!!


Lovely and flavorful, and the red pepper and carrots were a wonderful addition. I'm so happy I was able to come up with this. In recent months, I have found that I do experiment more often, and with only using a recipe as a guide, I can really do it myself. Yay, me!

Chicken Soup into Arancini

So sod Margaret Mason, here's what I had for lunch today...


A few days ago, I made risotto with the chicken stock I made with my mom. It was really good and you could really taste the difference - the risotto somehow seemed more intense and yet at the same time quite subtle in its flavor. A contradiction, I know, but there was definitely something there I couldn't put my finger on. It was a pity that I wasn't able to finish the risotto.

I have had it in mind to make arancini out of the leftover rice, but not having any mozzarella in the house, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with it. But then, I decided on an asian twist, and went ahead and used my latest new ingredient, panko bread crumbs. I had bought the crumbs a few days ago not really sure how I will use them but was curious all the same. Lunch today presented as a great opportunity.

The rice balls were fabulous. The panko bread crumbs provide such a crunchy and sturdy shell. I could really imagine this being fabulous with pork chops and chicken breast too. Mmmm, I love panko bread crumbs.

Asian Rice Balls with Tangy Spinach Salad

1 cup leftover risotto or sticky rice
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 cup baby spinach leaves
juice from 1/2 lime
maldon salt
extra virgin olive oil

Form small balls with the leftover rice and dip them in flour, then in egg, and finally in the panko bread crumbs. Let them rest on a flat plate or chopping board while the light olive oil is heating in a non-stick pan.

When the oil is hot, quickly fry the rice balls, turning them all over so that they are golden on all sides. This should take 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the spinach salad. Toss the leaves in extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Drizzle the lime juice over and toss again. Serve with the rice balls.