More fast food: Noodle and rice pilaf with, I don’t know, stuff?

Posted by Michael on Nov 1, 2010 in Recipes | 0 comments

In my quest to eat much, much more fast food, I’ve been turning to this dish recently.  A simple rice and noodle pilaf that’s ready in 20 minutes and super flexible like an awesome elastic or a cheerleader.

The base of butter, rice, egg noodles, garlic, onion and water or stock is made healthier and more flavourful by the addition of whatever vegetables you might have on hand.   Today, I had a carrot, a few bits of leftover broccoli and a handful of frozen peas.  Somebody remind me that I have to buy more peas tomorrow.  Thanks.

I’ve written about pilaf before and there’s good reason it’s a regular go-to dish for me.  It’s fast, and using the classic “pilaf” method, it’s more flavourful than it’s simple ingredients might suggest on paper, or on the Internet, I guess.

Mixed vegetable rice and noodle pilaf

1 tablespoon butter

a couple tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup regular white long grain rice

1/4 cup fine egg noodles or soup noodles

1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

1/2 cup or so mixed vegetables like carrot, peas, zucchini, broccoli, whatevs.

salt or soy sauce to taste, plus pepper to taste

Heat a small fry pan, preferably a cheap as dirt stainless steel pan that has a tight-fitting lid over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the butter then the onion.   Add the rice and noodles and stir frequently until the noodles take on a bit of brown colour, the rice is opaque and the smell is putting a great big grin on your face.   Add the garlic and saute another minute, stirring.   Add the stock or water and bring to a boil.   Reduce heat to low, season with a little salt or soy sauce and pepper, then put the lid on (reduce salt if you’re using a commercial stock.  That stuff can often have more salt than the Bay of Fundy).   The rice and noodles will take 15 minutes to cook so this is where you need to decide when to add the vegetables.   Carrot will take 10 minutes to cook so add them after about five minutes of simmering if using.  Broccoli and peas and the like will take only five to seven minutes to cook so add them at the appropriate time.  Just use your noggin there, homey.   After 15 minutes of simmering, just remove the pan from heat and let stand five minutes before fluffing with a fork, plating it up, taking a picture of it and writing about it on your blog.   Then ram into face.