Rice Bowl

This is one of my favorite quick foods. It is healthy, easy and delicious!

If any of the directions are unclear, please leave a comment so that I can clarify and improve the format for future posts! If you find a variation of the recipe that you like, please feel free to post a comment for the benefit of other readers.

Serves: 1 (double the recipie if you eat a lot, are cooking for 2, or want left-overs for lunch)
Time: 15-30 minutes depending on experience

Ingredients:

1 Small Onion -or- 1/2 Large Onion
2-3 Cloves Garlic (or to taste)
Soy Sauce (my favorite is Kikkoman); Soy sauce can be interchanged with Tamari
Salt
Pepper
~1-2 Teaspoons Butter (you can change this with Olive oil if you like but butter tastes best; I would probably just use less butter if you are worried about your health than change the ingredient to something else)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
~1 1/2 cups Green Giant "Japanese Mix" frozen vegetables
1 cup (dry) white rice (you can also use brown rice--it is healthier but also takes longer to cook)
1 egg

What cooking utensils will you need?

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Frying pan with some kind of lid or tin foil (non stick makes for a much easier time in the kitchen. You can get really cheap ones (under $10) at Canadian Tire, Winners, Ikea, or any second hand shop.)
• small pot with a lid that fits properly
  
• Non-Metal Spoon (metal will wreak your frying pan so that things stick to it next time)
• Garlic Press (optional)

Directions (this is the simple version for intermediate or advanced cooks. More detailed directions can be found below for beginners)

• The Rice: the general rule for making rice is that for every cup of water, you have 1/2 a cup of dry rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I also like to do a dollop (about 1 Table spoon)of olive oil. For one person, I would use 1 cup dry rice.

• Put 1 cup dry rice, 2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon Olive oil in a pot.
• Turn on high until it reaches a boil. Then turn down to 2 or 3 (1 or 2 notches above min)
• Let cook for about 15 minutes or until there is no water left (watch for the steam to stop). During this time, start making your stir fry.
• "Fluff" the rice.
• If cooking brown rice instead of white, just increase the cooking time to aproximately 45 minutes

Myth: Lots of people think that there is some trick to making rice. There isn't! They also think that if you remove the lid, your rice will be ruined! Although it is easiest if you cook your rice covered, it is ok (and recommended) to take the lid off and stir the rice to see if the rice is done...just don't keep the lid off for a long time;)

• Chop the onion into pieces about the size of your fingernail.
• Chop garlic into tiny pieces (unless you really like eating chunks of garlic)
• Pre-heat frying pan on medium heat (never high). If you are new to cooking, don't do this until you have everything else ready!
  
• Add a bit of butter and let it melt... just enough to coat the pan a bit (i.e. 1-2 teaspoons)
• Saute Onion
  
• Add the chopped garlic and 1 egg. You can mix it first in a bowl with a fork but don't have to. Stir the onion and egg around so that it becomes like scrambled egg.
• When the egg is almost cooked, pour some of the Japanese Mixed Vegetables (which may or may not be thawed... it makes little difference except that its easier to not thaw them) into the pan. I like to do about 1 1/2 cups but just do the amount that you want to eat in one rice bowl (think of the amount of veggies you get with your food at Edo and then make it a little more).
• Pour Soy Sauce over everything (about 1 to 2 Tablespoons).
  
• Add a little salt and pepper to taste
• Reduce heat, cover, and let cook until veggies are hot and tender
  
• Put rice in a bowl, top with the stir fry, and enjoy!
  

Directions (With more detail for absolute beginners)

1. The Rice: the general rule for making rice is that for every cup of water, you have 1/2 a cup of dry rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I also like to do a dollop (about 1 Table spoon) of olive oil. For one person, I would use 1 cup dry rice.

• Put 1 cup dry rice, 2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon Olive oil in a pot.
• Turn on high.
• When it reaches a boil (watch carefully that it doesn't boil-over), turn it down to minimum or perhaps 2 or 3 if you like.
• Let cook for about 15 minutes or until there is no water left (watch for the steam to stop). During this time, start making your stir fry.
  
• "Fluff" the rice, as some cookbooks will say. This just means to briefly stir it to loosen it up. That way your rice will be less stuck together.
  

Myth: Lots of people think that there is some trick to making rice. There isn't! They also think that if you remove the lid, your rice will be ruined! Although it is easiest if you cook your rice covered, it is ok (and recommended) to take the lid off and stir the rice to see if the rice is done...just don't keep the lid off for a long time;)

1. The Onion: Chop the onion in half then peel the hardened layers off. After that chop it however you like into pieces about the size of your fingernail.
2. The garlic: peel off the hardened shell. Chop into tiny pieces (unless you really like eating chunks of garlic)
3. Put your frying pan on the stove on medium heat (never high heat). If you are new to cooking, don't do this until you have everything else ready!
4. To test the heat of the pan, put a couple of drops of water in the pan and see what it does. If it calmly evaporates, your pan isn't ready. If the water disappears immediately, jumps around, or some other funny thing, it is hot enough.
5. Add a bit of butter and let it melt... just enough to coat the pan a bit (i.e. 1-2 teaspoons)
6. Add the chopped onion and stir it once in a while so it doesn't burn. You don't have to cook it long... just until the pieces get a little bit less opaque or translucent. Try one and make sure it is cooked till it isn't too crunchy anymore.
7. Now add the chopped garlic and an egg. You can mix it first in a bowl with a fork but don't have to. Stir the onion and egg around so that it becomes like scrambled egg. If your egg is getting cooked too fast, add some water (1-2 tablespoons) or lift the pan off the element to cool things down.
8. When the egg is almost cooked, pour some of the Japanese Mixed Vegetables (which may or may not be thawed... it makes little difference except that its easier to not thaw them) into the pan. I like to do about 1 1/2 cups but just do the amount that you want to eat in one rice bowl (think of the amount of veggies you get with your food at Edo and then make it a little more).
9. Pour Soy Sauce over everything (about 1 to 2 Tablespoons). (if you are unsure. Do less rather than more and taste it first).
   
10. Add a little salt and pepper to taste (think of how much you would add to your plate when eating at your mom's).
11. Cover the frying pan and turn down the heat a notch. Then let cook until the veggies are not cold and the egg is done.
12. Put rice in a bowl, top with the stir fry, and enjoy!