WHB: Stir-Fried Wild Rice Served in Special Bowls

Having a bad day?  Feeling down about things?  That was me a few days ago.  Then I walked to my mailbox and found a surprise package waiting for me from the marvelous Kalyn.  Who doesn't love a surprise package?  Seek counseling if you don't.  I ran back to my house and opened it, to find three beautiful bowls from Kalyn's travel to San Francisco and Chinatown.  Each one is different, and fits into the palm of my hand perfectly.  Since I love to eat one bowl meals, I was beyond delighted. And the fact that Kalyn thought to do this made them all the more special.  I do love material objects, (see another surprise package), but I love kind friends even more.

I was planning to make fried wild rice for Weekend Herb Blogging, the terrific event that Kalyn started at Kalyn's Kitchen some time back.  And I knew the little dishes would be perfect for it.  And, as you will see, they were.  This week WHB is being hosted by the talented Mele Cotte.  There are always lots of wonderful herby recipes in the Roundup, so do go check it out at her site.

Here are all three bowls nestled together. Each one has a different appearance and feel in the hand.

You've seen one of the bowls at the start of the post, here is the one that feels the best in my hand. It has a delicate feel that I like very much.

And look how special left over spicy sesame noodles look in the third one?

This is a great little recipe. It's simple to make and isn't really fried rice as we usually know it. For one, it's made with wild rice, which isn't rice at all. It's a member of the grass family.  The only oil used here is sesame oil and it degrades quickly if you cook with it too long. So the ingredients aren't really fried.  The herb of choice is my favorite, cilantro.  It's also the offical favorite herb of WHB, as determined in a prior election.  It tastes wonderful in this recipe, along with the ginger root, garlic and hoisin sauce. Another good thing about this recipe is that the wild rice can be cooked just before you make this dish. Normally, fried rice doesn't work very well unless the rice has been made well in advance and cooled. Wild rice isn't sticky, so you can use it right after it's done cooking.  You can make this recipe on the spur of the moment, and it's a great way to use up vegetable odds and ends.  I enjoyed it a great deal.  My only complaint is that it makes enough for just 2 people. Double it if you have more people to serve or make a lot of other dishes with it. 

Thanks again Kalyn! They are much appreciated!

Stir-Fried Wild Rice  (Cilantro)

(Williams-Sonoma)

serves 2

2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 cup wild rice
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped bok choy
1 Tbs. chopped garlic
1 Tbs. chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced poblano chili
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Note: I was a bit generous with my veggies. I would say they tended to be leaning more towards 1/2 cup, rather than 1/4 cup.


In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the stock and wild rice. Cover and cook until tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

In a wok over high heat, warm the sesame oil. When hot, add the bok choy and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Stir in the bell pepper, poblano chili, bean sprouts and scallions, then stir in the wild rice. Add the hoisin sauce, cilantro and lime juice and stir to mix. Serve immediately.

Comments

[Garrett]

Ooo, sounds very yummy. I always want to eat your cooking!

[Lydia]

What a lovely gift! The "perfect" rice bowl is very hard to find -- must fit the palm of your hand just so.

[Kalyn]

I'm so glad you liked them. It was fun buying you a surprise and I figured every food blogger always needs more dishes! (That's my motto and I'm sticking with it.)

Stir-fried wild rice is a great idea! Those people at Williams-Sonoma just have it all together don't they? And there's cilantro and lime juice, two of my absolute favorites.

The kids are gone and I'm dragging around the house, totally exhausted and trying to think of something to cook. Maybe tomorrow I can bounce back, but I can tell you I have new respect for every mother who writes a blog. Tonight my brain is like mush.

[Tanna]

That is just a terrific gift. I truly love things that become a set by not matching! I know that doesn't sound right but it really works for me. Lovely bowls.

[Katiez]

Gorgeous bowls - and how lovely to get a surprise from the postman!
I agree with Tanna, I long ago decided to have 'unmatched' sets of dishes - so much easier to handle the inevitable breakage (inevitable at our house, anyway)
Must remember to smuggle back wild rice on next trip, I just ran out and your stir-fry looks yummy!

[Chris]

Lovely bowls to go with a lovely recipe! (I love, love, love W&S recipes). Thanks for participating in WHB! (And making my raining Sunday by saying that I am talented...ha ha ha!)

[Christine]

How very dear of Kalyn to send you such a delightful gift! I was so happy to get to know spend some time with her while she was in SF and I can attest that she's just as lovely a person, in person, as you would ever want to meet.

[The Cooking Ninja]

The bowls are very lovely and the dishes are delicious looking. :)

[Glenna]

Gorgeous bowls, not to mention gorgeous food! Very cool.

[Jann]

What an incredible gesture on Kalyn's part~how very thoughtful!Perfect for your rice recipes! Enjoy with memories ~

[sandeepa]

Lovely recipe in equally lovely bowls :) Sorry Sher have not been able to visit as often as I want. Summer means so much to do outdoors that blogging has taken a small break..hope to come out of this lethargy soon :)

[Kristen]

How thoughtful of her. Those do look like the most perfect bowl!

[Amy]

What beautiful bowls and the stir fry looks delicious!

[Sue (coffeepot)]

Oh wow.... what a great gift and lovely stir fry to boot!