Stir-Fried Rice and Gomasio

I had a bunch of steamed Chinese cabbage I needed to get rid of, plus I had used my rice cooker to make four cups of long-grain brown rice, so I decided to make STIR-FRIED RICE last night.

Ingredients

1 tblsp. — olive oil

2 — 1-lb blocks tofu, cubed into 1/2-inch-sized pieces 

To taste — tamari, toasted sesame oil, agave syrup, gomasio

1 — chopped red onion

Small amount — chopped hot red pepper

4 cups — cooked brown rice

3-4 cups — chopped steamed greens (Chinese cabbage, kale, collards, etc.)

To taste — more toasted sesame oil, olive oil, tamari, nutritional yeast, turmeric for color (1/4 tsp)

Serve with salad

 

Method

In a large frying pan add a tablespoon of olive oil and two one-pound blocks of tofu that are cubed into half-inch-sized pieces. Sprinkle it with tamari, toasted sesame oil, agave syrup, and GOMASIO. I will mention how to make that, below.

 

Add a chopped red onion and a small amount of chopped hot red pepper. The pepper isn't necessary, but it does add a nice touch of color and hotness.

Keep stirring it every now and then, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan throughout this process.
Add in the four cups of cooked brown rice. The longer the grain and the drier it is, (use a little less water in cooking) the better.

Add three to four cups of chopped steamed Chinese cabbage. You could use some other cooked greens if that's what you have.

Add in more toasted sesame oil, olive oil, tamari, and some nutritional yeast, and a little turmeric for color. It is between you and your taste buds how much you add of the seasonings and oils.

Serve it while still hot, with some salad on the side.

The toasted sesame oil is an important part of this dish, so get some to keep on hand in the refrigerator. It has a distinctive flavor and smell.

Gomasio Is a Tasty Condiment

I also sometimes add some tahini sesame paste to my fried rice, but this time I used the GOMASIO. I used to always have this as a condiment, but it had been a while since I stirred some up. It's just sesame seeds and salt (coarse, if you have it), which you toast while stirring in a pan until it begins to turn a slightly darker tan color and pop. Stop heating it before it burns or turns too brown.

At this point you need to grind as much as you want to use or store the rest in the refrigerator. To grind it, you can use a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle, or a little Slicky, if you have one.

  

I've had my little clear and red plastic Slicky grinder for years, so I don't know if they are still sold, perhaps in Asian gadget stores or on the internet. There is a little crank that you turn to grind as much of the seasoning onto your food as you want, like a pepper mill would do. Maybe a pepper mill would work for this, as a matter of fact, though maybe not, as peppercorns are bigger than sesame seeds. (Amazon does sell one! A useful hand-cranked gadget to own.)

The unused portion can sit on the table or be refrigerated. This is one of those foods that makes a bigger impact than it sounds. My oldest son remembered it fondly, and says we always used to have it. It's a good thing I had some sesame seeds and salt left over from when I sprinkled them on the bagel tops, or I might never have made this yummy condiment.