C – Surviving with rice, eggs and soy sauce is a right of passage for any Asian person growing up and moving out of their parents’ house. It’s a stereotype and it’s the best one.
It’s great to save money. It’s really fast and easy. It’s truly comfort food. It’s nostalgic for any Asian person missing home. It’s also still one of my favorite dishes.
I think I still eat it at least once a week. Of course, as I mature and gain skills in cooking my rice, eggs and soy sauce dishes have changed quite a bit. There are so many things you can add to change up this simple dish. Furikake is my favorite.
Add a sprinkle of Japanese rice seasoning and the dish becomes a culinary masterpiece. Seaweed, salt, sugar, pepper and sesame seeds are usually ingredients found in furikake seasoning. You can add a lot of things into furikake. My favorite are dried vegetables, benito flakes and dried salmon.
Even better is just finding things from the pantry and adding them into a food processor. Roasted nuts might be good. That nori you thought you would make sushi about a year ago but never did. Toast and grind it in a food processor.
| Clean Out The Pantry Week 2016: Homemade Furikake (Rice Seasoning) |
- 20 small roasted nori sheets, torn into small pieces
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp granulated garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- Place all ingredients except the sesame seeds into a food processor.
- Blend until fine.
- Remove mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Add in sesame seeds and mix well.
- Serve over rice.
- Enjoy!
I know it might seem tedious make and more expensive than the stuff you can buy at the store … but it will taste amazing. You also won’t have to deal with MSG or any weird preservatives. Unless you like that stuff.
So, bring out the food processor and grind up a few things from the pantry. Cook some rice and eggs. Brings out the soy sauce. Enjoy an Asian dish that is so addicting. It’s just like Americans and their mac and cheese.