Kimchi Fried Rice

When you are really, really pressed for time. But you still want to have a delicious, flavorful, and healthy meal, try this Korean fried rice.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickled vegetable dish. I don't know how true it is, but it is said that this side dish is required in all Korean meals; and that all Korean women are required to learn how to make their own kimchi, or else no man will marry them! :) Anyone who can verify this?

Health magazine has named Kimchi as one of the top five of the world's healthiest food. It is rich in dietary fiber, and vitamins and is low in calories.


For now, I buy my kimchi in small convenient packs. (See the photo below.) I don't know how to make kimchi yet. But I promise myself that I am going to learn how to make kimchi one of these days. I cannot pass up the opportunity to learn a healthy and delicious side-dish :) It should not be too difficult :)





4 C cooked jasmine rice
1 pack (120gms) kimchi
200 gms cooked ham, cubed
4 T garlic, minced (optional)
4 eggs
spring onions, chopped


1. Chop the drained kimchi into little pieces. Reserve the liquid.

2. Saute garlic in a little oil. This is optional. If you are not using garlic, simply skip this step.

3. Add in the chopped ham (or substitute cooked cubed chicken). After a minute, add in the kimchi and the kimchi liquid. Stir for a while until hot, then add in the rice.

4. Mix everything up, so that the rice can absorb the flavor of the meat and the kimchi. Cook while stirring until the rice is hot. This should take around 2 to 3 minutes only. Test for taste. Add a little salt if too bland. But for me the kimchi is already flavorful enough.

5. Cook some sunny side-up eggs. Arrange the cooked rice on a plate. Top with the sunny-side up egg and chopped spring onions. Serve immediately.


A tasty and nutritious meal in a short time - provided you already have cooked rice, of course. :)



Sharing this dish with Wine and Dine featuring Korea dishes over at Joelen's Culinary Adventures.

Basil (Rice) Risotto-Stuffed Tomatoes

When I saw this dish in the Yummy Magazine, June 2008 edition, I knew I really have to make this! It has all the ingredients that we love! The tomatoes, basil, olive oil and rice!!!

But before I share the recipe, I'd like to mention that I am sharing these tomatoes stuffed with rice to the World Food Day - Time to be Thankful event, hosted this time by Ivy of Kopiaste. World Food Day is a monthly food event launched by Ivy of Kopiaste, and Val of More Than Burnt Toast. They are joined by Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen with the aim to bring awareness to our readers about the hunger problems that exist around the world and which seem to be getting worse day after day, after this huge worldwide economic crisis. The theme for this month is Being Thankful.

I already have a previous entry, but I'd like to share this rice dish as well. You see, rice is a staple food of all Filipinos (and of most Asian people as well.) Maybe it is hard for a foreigner to imagine, but we eat rice three times a day, and a meal is not complete without rice. Most often, the rice we eat at a regular meal is simply plain white rice. It is only on special occasions when we cook special rice dish such as paella, bringhe, yang chow fried rice or risotto.

That is why when there was a worldwide rice shortage early this year, the price of rice actually doubled!!! (There was a greater demand than supply.) The government had no choice but to provide rice at subsidized prices. But just this past week, when I visited the market, I found out that the prices of rice has lowered a bit. Still higher than the prices last year, but significantly lower than the price in May. I think this is because it is harvest season and there are many new rice available. This is good news, a welcome news, in fact, as there will be lots of festivities in the coming holiday season.

For all these years, my family always have rice on the table. For that alone, I am thankful. My grandmother would always tell stories of her life during war (World War II) , when they cannot find any food, any rice to eat. Even when she had money, there would be no rice to buy. And if she does not have money, well... that's another story. So, as children, we would always be required to finish off each grain of rice on our plate. For my grandmother's lesson, I am thankful. I am instilling this same discipline to my kids as well. My mother-in-law would also share that she would extend the rice supply she has by cooking porridge (gruel) all the time. She says they have hot, filling food. That was enough. Even my young son said that he is happy and thankful that he is born now, in this time, instead of during the war, or when our immigrant ancestors were living a poor and hard life.

I am thankful, grateful, in fact, to our brave, hardworking immigrant ancestors who came to this land to start, to rebuild their (and consequently, our) lives. I remember their stories. I am grateful for the values and character they instill in us. I hope the stories will continue on as I retell them to my children, and hopefully to my children's children. May we who are living in the time of plenty never forget the lessons and history of our people.





3 large tomatoes
1/4 C finely packed basil leaves, washed, chopped finely
1/4 C olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 C Japanese rice
3 T tomato paste
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 T pine nuts
3 C water or chicken stock
parmesan cheese, grated, for topping
salt and pepper to taste


1. Core the large tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and inner flesh. Discard the seeds and chop the inner flesh and the tomato meat from the top. Set tomatoes aside.

2. Add some of the olive oil to the chopped basil leaves.

3. Saute onions in the remaining olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until wilted. Add the rice and saute in the oil. Add the tomato paste, bell pepper and pine nuts.

4. Pour in the chicken stock. Let rice cook, covered, until mixture is almost dry, thick and creamy. Add the basil mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool.

5. Arrange the hollow large tomatoes on a greased baking sheet. Brush the sides of the tomatoes with olive oil. Stuff each tomato with the rice mixture. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove tray from oven. Top each tomato with parmesan cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. (Guess what? I was too lazy to fire up the oven again. I used the oven toaster and it worked just as well.)



Result? Flavorful, creamy, yummy rice that is sure to impress your family and guests. Hubby said if only for this dish, he is willing to buy fresh, large tomatoes every week for me to cook!



Also sharing this dish with the Bookmarked Recipes community, headed and hosted by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. Bookmarked Recipes is a weekly food event that features the dishes we made from a blog, a cookbook, or a magazine or a cooking TV show. To see last week's delicious round-up please click here.

Tomato Rice Baked in Bell Pepper

Hubby and I were able to taste a baked tomato rice in a popular restaurant here in the heart of Manila. It was so creamy, so delicious. Hubby wanted me to recreate it here at home!

So, this dish is my first attempt. I was preparing my ingredients when I spied my Thai basil plant growing profusely. The picture here was taken when I newly bought it from the plant nursery. It has grown more leaves since then.




I knew the rice do not have the taste of thai basil, but has sweet basil. But I so very wanted to use these leaves, so I gathered a handful and threw it in the rice as well... :)


1 1/2 C Japanese round rice, washed once
4 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, seeded, diced
3 T tomato paste
1 bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 1/2 C Chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C chopped thai basil


1. In a big skillet, or cooking pan, heat up some olive oil. Saute the onions until softened.

2. Add in the tomatoes and saute until juices come out, around 3 minutes. Add in the bell peppers, tomato paste. Mix everything up for a while, then add in the rice. Add in the chicken broth. Let boil and lower heat. Check in once in a while, stir to mix, and to make sure the rice is not burning.

3. When rice is cooked, add in chopped basil. Mix everything to let the remaining heat cook the basil leaves. You can also add in some more drops of olive oil for more flavor and shine to the rice. Season with salt and pepper.




4. You can serve as is, or bake it in a bell pepper.


I just wanted to show you the size of the bell pepper I used...



5. Clean the bell pepper well. Cut off the top portion. Remove the seeds and the insides.

6. Stuff the bell pepper with the cooked rice. Brush the skin of the bell pepper with olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Serve warm. You may actually top this with cheese (now, why didn't I do that?)



The tomato rice is flavorful, creamy and delicious. The thai basil gave the rice dish a lemony basil flavor. Delicious but a bit on the strong flavor side. Maybe next time, I should use my sweet basil instead.


Sharing this rice dish with the Grow Your Own event. This is a twice a month food event launched by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes to celebrate the plants and food we grow ourselves and the dishes we make using these homegrown produce. This edition's host is Denise of Chez Us. To see last edition's delicious entries, please check out the wonderful round-up done by Noobcook.

Abalone Congee with Mustard Greens

The weather has been cold and damp the past week. I know in most parts of the world, people are celebrating summer at this moment. But here in this tropical country, we only have two seasons: dry and wet. It is now the wet season or the monsoon months. This means we get lots of typhoons or we get lots of rains. Either way, streets get flooded, our shoes get muddy, our clothes get wet... unless we stay inside the house for two to three months.

Last week, there was no typhoon but there were three low pressure areas, so we got lots of rain. Yesterday, one low pressure area has intensified into level one typhoon. So, we got more rains today.

I'm sorry for sounding so gloomy. Hubby was feeling gloomy too. With the rising oil prices, labor costs, electricity costs, local business outlook is not good either. So, to cheer him up, I thought of cooking one of our comfort foods - the flavored congee (In Fookian, we call it Kiam Be).

Actually, the congee is a common dish in every Chinese household. Often, mothers would cook this plain when children are sick. Babies are fed congee for their first solid food. Probably that is why it has become a comfort food for most of us. That is what our mothers cook when we feel uneasy or uncomfortable.

There are as many variety of flavored congee as there are ingredients. With just the rice as the main ingredient, we can put in as many ingredients to flavor the rice as how we want the congee to taste like. We can use a variety of seafoods, meat, and vegetables or a combination of ingredients. I have posted another flavored congee before - the Dried Scallop Congee, also one of our favorites. Here is another one. My green-loving Hubby prefers this one because it has mustard greens.

2 C mixed rice (1 part white rice, 1 part red rice), washed
8 C water
a few slices of ginger
4 T minced garlic
250 gms lean ground pork, marinated in
- 3 T soy sauce
- 2 T cornstarch

2 bunches mustard greens (also called leaf mustard or green mustard cabbage), cleaned, cut
1 can abalone
4 pcs dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 4 hours, sliced with stems discarded


1. Saute ginger in a little oil (preferably canola oil) until golden brown. Add garlic and saute until fragrant but not burnt.

2. Add in the lean ground pork. Stir fry until color changes. Add in the rice and soaked mushrooms. Mix well.

3. Add water and the liquid from the can of abalone. Simmer after the liquid boils. Cook for 15 - 25 minutes until rice is cooked. You may add water if you prefer your congee watery.

4. When rice is cooked, add in the chopped mustard greens. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the greens are limp and cooked.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Slice the abalone meat thinly.

7. Ladle the congee into individual serving bowls. Top with the sliced congee. Sprinkle with chopped green onions or scallions if preferred. Serve hot.




This is the can of abalone we have here. Abalones are large sea-snails or marine mollusks, considered an expensive delicacy in Asia. It tastes of the sea yet clean, tender crisp, delicate and light. In Chinese, abalone are called Bao Yu, and often is a part of an expensive Chinese banquet. It ranks with the Shark Fin Soup, that is considered a symbol of wealth and prestige, and is traditionally reserved for special occasions such as weddings and other celebrations. But unlike the Sharks (the source of the Shark's Fin Soup), abalones are not endanged, and is in fact commercially farmed nowadays.

You can say using this expensive delicacy is truly the ultimate comfort food. It is for my Hubby. When he started eating, he was telling me he was not feeling well, he does not feel like eating. (That's how depressed he was.) But after tasting some spoonfuls, he continued eating. I was surprised he finished the whole bowl!

Yes! Life is good. No matter what kind of weather we have outside. God's grace abounds everyday. Good food, happy family, I have enough.

Dried Scallop Congee

Yesterday was a very very stormy day. Typhoon FengShen devastated Central and Northern Philippines. Now, it is on its way to Taiwan, Southern China and Japan, leaving many people dead or homeless, and a passenger ferry capsized (more deaths.) If not for the news, we would have been so removed from the reality of these disasters around us, because we had to stay put inside our own homes.

In Asia, we call a tropical cyclone, a typhoon. Elsewhere, it is called a hurricane. But basically, they are the same weather disturbance that originates at sea. In Asia, our typhoons come from from the Pacific Ocean. It brings heavy rains, thunderstorms, and the dreaded powerful winds that damages properties and can topple anything in its path. I remember two years ago, Typhoon Millenium brought powerful winds that all our sliding doors and window glasses on the fifth floor were broken. That was the first and only time my family had experienced such winds.

When there is a typhoon, powerlines are often down. My mom would then cook something simple but warming and nourishing. More often than not, it would just be a simple congee. And I have done the same for my own family. It is a complete dish in one, with protein and complex carbohydrates. It brings warmth to the body on a cold stormy day. It comforts and calms our minds while strong winds are lashing outside.



This picture shows the dried scallops. Dried scallops or conpoy is a type of dried seafood made from the adductor muscles of scallops. Its taste is rich, marine, intense. According to Wikipedia, it has high content of various amino acids and minerals such as calcium and zinc. In Hong Kong, where we buy dried scallops, it is considered a delicacy because it has complex flavor that enhances various dishes. It is ideal to use scallops to flavor congee, and for stir frying various vegetables. Even if it is a relatively expensive ingredient, we do not have to use a lot to impart flavor to our dishes. Like for this 4 bowls of congee, I only used 3 medium pieces.

Dried scallops have to be prepared before cooking. I would usually wash a cup or two of dried scallops. Boil and simmer them in water for half an hour until softened. When cooled, I would divide them (scallops and broth) into serving sizes, store them in the freezer for future use. When I need some for cooking, I would just get a pack of pre-cooked dried scallops from the freezer. It would not be convenient to soften a little amount of dried scallops every time.



While the scallops impart the flavor, the main ingredient of congee is the Rice. Rice is the main staple of the Asian people. For most Filipinos, it is difficult to imagine a meal without rice. Because a meal without rice is perceived as "not filling" enough. As children, we are taught to give due respect to the rice farmers because of their back-breaking work planting rice in water paddies under the hot tropical sun. Magtanim ay di biro, maghapong naka-yuko...

Rice is a good nutritious food. Rice is high in complex carbohydrates, contains almost no fat, is cholesterol free. All rice, red, brown and white, is considered a good source of vitamins and minerals. Red rice is the rice wherein only the husk is removed. It is not milled and polished like the white rice that you often see in the market. White rice is simply polished and milled red or brown rice (color depending on the variety). Although almost all the nutrients are stripped from white rice when the bran layer is removed during milling, most of the rice sold in the market are enriched with minerals lost during the milling process. So, you have to check out the label to know what minerals your rice contains. Rice is gluten-free and easily digestible making it a good choice for infants and people with wheat allergies or digestive problems. To know more about how rice is grown and what the different types of rice are, please click here.

I mixed 1 part organic long grain red rice with 3 parts long grain white rice for this congee. Red rice is healthier because it is unpolished and still has the outer bran layer. Therefore, aside from the natural nutrients that the rice has, it is also rich in fiber and protein. However, I was afraid my kids are not used to the texture and "graininess" of the red rice, so I had to mix them up with the white rice first. Later on, I plan to increase the red rice ratio to the white rice.

1 C mixed rice, washed once
3 pcs prepared conpoys or dried scallops, with some juices/broth
1/3 K lean ground pork, marinated in 2 T soy sauce and 2 T cornflour
4 T cooking oil, preferably canola oil
3 slices ginger
4 T minced garlic
4 T light soy sauce
3 - 4 C water, depending on how thick you want your congee to be (more water, less thick)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions for garnish

1. Heat up the oil in a pot or wok. Saute the ginger until light golden brown. Add the garlic. Stir fry until fragrant but not burnt.

2. Add the conpoy or dried scallops. Stir for a while. Add the marinated ground pork (including sauce). Stir for a while until the pork changes color. Add the rice. Add soy sauce. Mix everything up.

3. Add water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is cooked (around 20 minutes).

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowls, top with chopped green onions. Serve immediately.





Am sharing this steaming bowl of congee filled with the natural goodness of rice with Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by the one and only Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. To see last week's delicious round-ups, please check out Joanna's Food.

Sticky Rice Cakes

Happy New Year! Daughter is particularly excited in welcoming the year of the rat because she was born in the year of the rat. She has come full cycle! That means she is 12 this year. Sigh, time flies so fast. Indeed, it is another new year to celebrate!

One of the beautiful traditions of the chinese new year is the giving of sweet, sticky rice cakes to friends and families. For my family, this has two-fold meaning. One, to seal friendship and ties between the giver and the recipient (this is where the stickness comes in.) Two, to wish the recipient continual prosperity (this is where the rice comes in.)

We have received several boxes of sticky rice cakes this time. And yes, at this time of the year, to the consternation of my hubby, I ignore my self-imposed diet and indulge in the sticky sweetness of fried rice cakes.

1. Slice enough 1/4" thin rice cakes into bite sized squares. Number of slices depends on how much you can consume.

2. Beat one whole egg. Heat up a frying pan. Add oil to fill around half inch deep.

3. Dip a piece of the rice cake in the egg and fry in hot oil. Do the same with the other pieces until pan is filled. Turn over the pieces to cook the other sides.

4. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding. Once done, drain on paper towels before serving.

There are many kinds of sticky rice cakes in the market nowadays. Aside from the variety of sizes, there are many flavors to choose from. In the picture above, I cooked the rice cakes made with brown sugar, hence the brown color. For the supposedly health-conscious, there's even lite versions! These lite versions use sugar substitutes instead of the real sugar. What is the use of using sugar substitutes? You still get your carbohydrates from the rice itself!

Chinese Flavored Rice (Kiam Pung)

This is definitely one of our family's comfort foods. I think every family have their own versions of Kiam Pung. My version is taken both from my own grandmother's recipe plus my mother-in-law's recipe. So, technically, this recipe is a marriage of both families!

My grandmother's Kiam Pung uses the rice cooker. Come to think of it, despite having bound feet and no education, she is quite a modern cook! She would cook chicken adobo first, soften the dried scallops and the shiitake mushrooms. Then, she would put all the ingredients with the rice inside the rice cooker to cook. Sounds very easy? But whenever I use this method, the rice always turns out either too soft and mushy (too much water), or too grainy and half-cooked (too little water). I remember my grandmother would just use her fingers (to check the height of the liquid) to measure the amount of liquid in the rice. And her Kiam Pung would always turn out perfect.

My mother-in-law's Kiam Pung uses the cast iron wok. This, I think requires more skill, particularly paying more attention to the sounds made by the cooking wok. She would saute sliced pork tenderloin and softened dried oysters in soy sauce. She would then add mustasa (mustard leaves? mustard greens?) at the bottom of the wok. Then, she would put the washed rice on top of the leaves and add enough water (again, measured by the finger method.) Then cover the wok, and she would listen to the sounds and gurgling made inside the wok. Based on the sounds made, she would know when to lower the fire, when to turn the wok around so that it would cook evenly. Accordingly, we cannot take a peek inside until we hear another kind of sound. Then, she will open the cover, mix all the ingredients inside, and quickly soon after, her Kiam Pung is done. Sigh... obviously, I was not able to learn this "listening" method of cooking. Or perhaps, I do not have the patience for it too.

With this wok method, the rice is not burnt because the mustasa leaves acts as the base. The rice is also very pleasantly veggie-flavored. However, the leaves becomes too wilted, and sometimes bitter.

My veggie-lover Hubby of course likes his Kiam Pung with mustasa, preferably not ovrcooked. So, I have to quickly learn and experiment on how to cook this dish, in any way, as long as it comes out edible, preferably yummy! And yes! After experimenting several times, I came out with this recipe that is easy to make, very flavorful that even the children love it! (Shhh.. they prefer my version over my mother-in-law's version.)

Of course I have the more "modern" advantage. I use a teflon wok (therefore, no burnt rice) with a see-through glass cover! Hee hee.



5 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 C dried scallops, softened
2 C cooked chicken or pork adobo, sauce included
1/4 C softened shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 can straw mushrooms, whole pieces halved
1 can golden mushrooms
5 C rice ( I use Jasmine rice)
water to make a total of 7 and a half cup liquid (see later note)
1/4 K mustasa (mustard leaves or greens), washed, cut into pieces
soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute ginger slices in cooking oil. When slightly brown, add the onions and the garlic.

2. Add in the softened dried scallops. Add in the rice. Splash some dashes of good quality soy sauce. Mix to blend in the flavors to the rice.

3. Add in all the mushrooms and the chicken or pork adobo. Add water. Mix everything and cover. Lower heat when it comes to full boil.

4. When the rice is nearly cooked ( I use see-through glass cover so I can see.) open the cover, toss everything a bit, then add the mustard greens. Mix everything again. Cover and cook until done. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve hot.


Some versions of Kiam Pung uses half regular rice and half malagkit or sticky rice. But I am not confident in using malagkit rice yet. And my family is already very happy with Jasmine rice. The amount of liquid to be added to your Kiam Pung actually depends on the quality of rice you will use. With the Jasmine rice, the proportion is one and a half cup of liquid (the adobo sauce counts) for every cup of rice.