I’ve been making a rookie, dare I say, amateur mistake.
I discovered said mistake over a recent dinner at one of our family’s favorite restaurants, P.F. Changs.
All seven of the bring joy household were out for a celebratory New Years day excursion (we were also treating our kids for last terms slew of excellent grades).
Nothing too fancy — vegetarian wraps, fried green beans, several sides of various seasoned vegetables, & lots of steamed brown & white rice. And about that rice–I couldn’t believe how delicious their rice tasted. Aromatic & flavorful, even when eaten plain.
If I really like the food, I’ll ask the waiter about it. In this case I poked & prodded about the type of rice, how it was cooked, how I could replicate it at home. Basically, I wanted to know their “secret.”
Turns out the secret is steaming the rice with a rice cooker (already do that) AND, rinsing the rice, according to the manager (I was so inquisitive the waiter grabbed the manager who answered all my questions) “about 8 or 9 times.”
Was it really that simple?
I went home & tried it out.
(And it totally worked — delicious, perfect, P.F. Chang-quality rice!)
I’ve known about rinsing rice for some time now. It’s just I read somewhere, or heard somewhere that white rice (unless it’s basmati) is enriched & if you rinse it, you wash away most of the vitamins. So I stopped rinsing my white rice. Mistake (at least where flavor & texture is concerned).
Okay, so maybe not rinsing retains some nutritional value, but that nutritional value is marginal. And if not rinsing the rice makes the rice not so delicious–for me, as a mom to picky kids whose main concern is filling their bellies–I will take a slightly less nutritious rice if it means that my kids will devour it as part of a vegetable heavy meal.
So what does rinsing do that is so magical?
It washes away the excess starch. Excess starch can make the rice gummy, and who wants gummy rice??
Also, about that other part, the steaming. I swear by my rice cooker. It’s a little magical perfect-rice-making machine. All I have to do is add rice, water, press a button, & presto, in 30 minutes or less, I have fluffy–not mushy, not crunchy–perfectly steamed rice. Brown rice takes about twice as long, but also produces equally lovely rice, though admittedly not as light.
If you’ve tried a rice cooker in the past with mixed results, I’d say it’s about getting a good, quality rice cooker. I’ve had mine for at least 6 or 7 years & it’s delivered thousands of batches of perfectly steamed rice. My rice cooker is an Aroma (affiliate link).
(Side note: I only make small batches of rice at a time, since I prefer fresh steamed rice & it’s so easy to make in my rice cooker.)
So before we get the recipe, a few notes.
1) The rice pictured here is Jasmine rice.
It’s only grown in Thailand. It’s amazing. I love all forms of rice, but this may be my favorite. It has a delicate flavor & texture & pairs well with all manner of Asian-themed fare, as well as lots of Latin based stuff (like black beans), too. I buy mine in 50 lb. bags from Costco for about $.60 a lb.
2) I use Beyond Meat chicken strips in this recipe.
This fun & tasty plant-based protein deserves a post all of it’s own, but suffice it to say, I find it a very suitable gluten-free non-meat, meat. My kids have never tasted bird muscle before, so they’re not all that impressed with it as a meat substitute (since they have no context for the animal flesh version), but they do rather like it. Joseph likes them too.
As for me, I’ve really taken a liking to the versatility it provides, & the fact that it offers some diversion from beans, which are my typical protein go-to. Learn more about the company, and it’s products (which are gluten-free & non-GMO), here (NOT an affiliate link).
3) AND, finally, for those concerns about arsenic in rice, I address them here.
A stir fry of green beans, carrots, & Beyond Meat chicken strips in a non-traditional sweet & sour sauce. Vegan & gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 TBS. ketchup (regular or agave sweetened)
- 3 TBS. Brag's liquid aminos or lite soy sauce
- 3 TBS. agave
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 c. water
- 1 small pineapple (about 1, 15 oz. can pineapple +1/4 c. juice)
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 1/2 TBS. cornstarch
- 1-2 TBS. cooking oil (I used coconut oil) OPTIONAL
- 1 medium/large onion, diced (very small)
- 4-5 medium/large carrots
- 4 c. fresh or frozen green beans
- 1 package Beyond Meat Beyond Chicken strips (or for soy-free option, 2 c. frozen peas)
Instructions
- Dice the pineapple into very small pieces. I used my veggie chopper to do this. You'll want to retain all the juices. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add ketchup, soy sauce, agave, 1 cup water, sesame oil. Whisk, & bring to a boil. While, you're waiting for mixture to boil, whisk 1/4 c. cold water & cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan & whisk until it thickens. Add pineapple & juices. Stir, & bring to boil again, allowing to thicken. Remove from heat.
- For the Beyond Chicken strips--add all strips to a medium heat skillet. Warm for a few minutes (if frozen, about 5-7 minutes), stirring with a fork about half way through to "grill" on all sides. If using peas, skip to next step.
- Peel carrots and slice into disks at a diagonal slant.
- Peel & dice onions. Dice small (almost a mince).
- In a wok, heat oil. For oil free, have a small cup of water nearby.
- Add onions & stir continuously for a few minutes. If you're not using oil, add water as needed to prevent sticking (about 1 tablespoon at a time--you don't want to boil the onions).
- Add carrots & green beans (& peas, if not using chicken strips). Continue to stir fry for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until carrots & green beans are cooked but still slightly crisp.
- Cut chicken strips into bite size chunks. Add to stir fry, along with sauce. Stir and cover. Turn down heat to medium low & let simmer for a few minutes so flavors can incorporate.
- Serve over your favorite rice or quinoa.
Additional Nutrition Info, based on using peas, not Beyond Meat chicken strips: 33 g carbs, 5 g protein, 6 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 262 mg sodium; 5 WWP points; using Beyond Meat strips will add 7 additional grams of protein per serving.
Looking for more inspiration in the kitchen?
→ Check out my 28 day meal plan!
(100% vegan & gluten-free.)
Other bring joy posts you might want to check out:
- cauliflower & chickpea curry
- sweet potato, kale, & avocado salad with sweet cashew dressing
- thick & chewy chocolate chip cookies
- Do you have to count calories to lose weight?
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