been a little busy working on building up a new business: www.secretasianmen-LA.com, but since i didn't stop eating, i shouldn't have stopped blogging; busy-ness is part of what drives this blog - the belief that it's possible to eat well despite minimal resources of time & money, combined with the idea that we as people of different cultures have more in common than we sometimes realize.
i've been eating a lot of tamago kake gohan (japanese for "egg over rice") lately. it's typically eaten for breakfast - cooked rice either mixed or topped with raw egg, often with a dash of soy sauce. raw yolk with a cooked starch isn't all that uncommon - sunny side up on a slice of toast, and of course, pasta alla carbonara, although a carbonara recipe typically also includes cheese and a cured fatty pork to increase the overall richness, but the bottom line is the combination of raw egg to give a cooked starch a creamy mouth-feel - if you've never had it, try breaking a raw egg over hot mashed potatoes. if the raw egg white makes you a little squeamish, use an egg cooked sunny side up or over easy.
there is no set recipe - the rice can be hot or cold (i prefer hot), the egg can be whole or beaten - and mixed with the soy sauce while beaten (if you don't have soy sauce, you can add a little salt). toppings can be added for contrast or to complement the flavor and texture of the rice and egg: avocado, minced green onion, kimchi, minced nori (dried seaweed), natto (fermented soybeans), etc.just don't overdo it. i used nam pla plik (chiles in fish sauce) last night. it's wasn't sensational, but it was a nice change of pace, and i was out of kimchi (which i make myself). for those with more western sensibilities, don't be afraid to experiment. for those of you with a sweet tooth - i've heard that some folks like to add a little sugar to their soy sauce before mixing it in - you may want substitute ketchup for the soy sauce. if you like carbonara, bacon bits?
the quintessential part of the recipe is preparing the rice properly, because it affects the texture. rice should washed in cold water & drained, repeating as needed until the water rinses clear. rice should be soaked for at least 30 minutes before cooking - especially if the rice is not long grain.
while having a rice cooker simplifies the steaming/absorption process, a cooker is not needed; a heavy pot with a tight lid will do. the general rule of thumb is two parts liquid to one part rice in terms of volume. bring the contents of the pot to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to lowest possible setting, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. uncover, fluff, and re-cover for five minutes.
