Vegetarian East Asian Food

Pineapple Fried Rice and Vegetable Tempura

Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple
• 4 cups cooked white rice
• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch fresh ginger root
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 tomato
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 green onions

Directions:

• Cook and chill the rice.
• Heat 2 Tbs oil in a pan.  Finely chop the onion and sautee.  Mince the garlic and ginger and add to the pan.  Sautee until all ingredients are soft or caramelized.
• Add 1 Tbs oil and all the rice to the pan.
• Blanch the green beans by boiling them for a few minutes and then submerging them in ice water.  Finely chop the tomato.  Peel and core the pineapple.  Chop into bite-sized chunks.
• Add the beans, tomato, and pineapple to the pan.  Sautee for a few minutes and add the soy sauce and sugar.
• Thinly slice the green onions and toss with hot ingredients.  Serve hot.

Modified from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pineapple-fried-rice-recipe/index.html

Vegetable Tempura

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• Several cups cooking oil

Directions:

• Peel and slice sweet potato into rounds, then chop into half moons.  Slice eggplant into rounds, then quarter the circles.  Slice zucchini into rounds.
• Mix together the water and egg.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda.
• Heat several cups of oil in a large skillet until hot enough to fry.  Dip vegetables in batter and drop into the hot oil.  Vegetables should float to the surface with bubbles gathering around the edges.  Remove when golden, placing on paper towels to drain.

Modified from: http://sushiday.com/archives/2007/01/30/how-to-make-tempura/