Have you heard about the custom for Jewish people to eat Chinese food on Christmas? It all started back in the day when there weren’t so many kosher restaurants to eat at, and the only places open on Xmas were Chinese joints. And the only people frequenting their restaurants were the Jews, since they do not celebrate the gentile holiday. To clarify things: it is not, in fact, a Jewish custom to eat Chinese food on Christmas, but some people enjoy doing so just for kicks. This year, my family decided to follow suit, and we ordered takeout from our favorite Chinese spot, EstiHana.
Have you seen this picture that’s been circulating around the web? Cute, isn’t it?
You know what the best part about ordering Chinese food? All that fresh hot rice they send you, which turns into day-old rice the next day. Leftover rice is the perfect starter for dishes like pineapple fried rice. And contrary to popular belief, most fried rice dishes are not fried at all (we are dispelling lots of myths here today!). So the next time you have leftover rice, think twice before throwing it away.
Other ways to use up leftover rice:
Rice pudding or breakfast cereal (use in place of oatmeal)
Tomato rice soup like this one
Stuffed peppers
Rice stuffing for chicken
Cheesy Mexican rice
Arancini
Chicken and rice soup
Do you have any good ideas for using up leftover rice? Share them in the comments below!
Easy Pineapple Fried Rice
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup pineapple, finely diced
12 oz cooked rice (or 1 Chinese takeout container)
2 tbsp eel sauce*
2 tsp soy sauce
3 scallions, chopped
Method:
Heat up a skillet and add sesame oil. Toss in pineapple and saute until it begins to caramelize and brown. Add cooked rice, breaking it up with a spatula. If the rice begins to stick, add a little bit of water. Add eel and soy sauce and stir to combine. When rice is heated through, add chopped scallions and serve.
VARIATION: You can add additional chopped vegetables like peppers (red peppers would be great in this), onions, or carrots. Saute them first and when beginning to soften, add the pineapple. Continue as above.
NOTE: Imitation kosher eel sauce is now widely available in supermarkets (I use the Sweet City brand). If you cannot find it, ask for some “sweet sauce” from your local sushi counter.
1 year ago: black grape and plum compote
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I always end up throwing all of the leftover rice away after it sits in the fridge for a few days! We always order brown rice and this looks perfect for the leftovers. I also like the idea of stuffing peppers or eggplant with the rice!
What a nice twist for rice! I hope you’ll come to my 2 year virtual blog celebration. Party is at my place ;)
xo
Sharon
OMG!!! I WANT!
Just recently I’ve been getting bored of my regular rice dish.. This is PERFECT!
Can’t wait to try this..
As always… Thanks again!
i love making leek fried rice with crispy garlic and ginger and a fried egg on top whenever i have leftover rice, but i might have to expand my fried rice-making and try this next time.
that sounds amazing!
Kosher Eel. Mmmm
Tastes like chicken?
Not at all. I don’t even know if real eel sauce has eel in it. It tastes like a thick sweet soy sauce.
Never used eel sauce! Thanks for mentioning it. I love fried rice, especially with pineapple (which I actually like in any recipe).
What a great idea! I always throw out leftover takeout rice. Not anymore!
Great idea! I love the pineapple in this
this is hysterical! we must share a brain: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/pineapple-fried-rice/ meanwhile I have been wanting to tell you how in awe of you I am that you are going to culinary school! it’s so wonderful an I wish you tons of success!!!
i’m always looking for more ways to use up leftover rice!
As always, beautiful photos. I am allergic to pineapple but love the approach to this dish. Leftover rice is always an ingredient in my mind!
By the way you can also freeze the rice if you won’t get it to right away and use in the same way. I do like to add an egg in my fried rice though.
thanks, great tip!