Bug Juice

That’s what my husband calls soy sauce.  There’s some sick family joke about it, and I don’t really want to know.  But he also told me that when he served a mission for our church in the Philippines in the early 80’s, some of the locals used way too much of it in their cooking.  Maybe it’s like Americans using salt.  If the food isn’t particularly appetizing, salt makes a good elixir.  The more the better for some people, apparently.

terraced rice farming in the Philippines

So, then, for various and some unmentionable reasons, Curt doesn’t like to hear that it is used in a recipe and certainly doesn’t want to see it placed on the dinner table as a condiment.  But I still add soy sauce to some of my Asian dishes, but I do it stealth like, returning the jar to the pantry within seconds.  It’s the same with cream cheese.  I CAN make a dessert with cream cheese, but “someone” better not taste it outright.  Cream cheese icing, that is a no-go.  But, a complicated Jell-O pie with plenty of other flavors going on, maybe.  My son’s taboo ingredient is my beloved onion.  If he notices it within his meal, there’s a registered complaint.  If he doesn’t see it, however, he is a happy camper.

I guess the moral of the story is that “ignorance is bliss.”  “Out of sight, out of mind.”  “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”   “HIDE THE BUG JUICE!”

(Quick disclaimer:  this does not ever apply in the case of food allergies.)

With leftover ham after Christmas, I sometimes make ham fried rice.  It’s a big hit in our house, especially since Curt has developed quite a love of rice after two years straight of eating it for three meals a day.  The key to making it is to have rice premade (leftover rice works great) and cold in the fridge.  Cold rice fries much better.  Feel free to add whatever veggies that sound good to you.  I like a third cup or so of frozen peas along with almost the same amount of chopped onion.  And, yes, I do add “bug juice” to this dish!

Lisa’s Fried Rice

3 tablespoons of oil, separated

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups cooked rice, cold

1  cup cooked chopped ham (pork or chicken would work, too)

1/4 tsp dried ginger

2 tsps  reduced sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped onion

have the ingredients all ready to go before starting to cook

Heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat in non-stick wok or large frying pan.  Add eggs and salt all at once and cook, stirring constantly.  Remove cooked egg and keep warm.  Add remaining oil to the same wok and heat on high-medium until hot.  Add rice and ham and cook, stirring frequently until heated through.  Add ginger and soy sauce, mix well.  Mix in vegetables and cooked eggs in gently and cook until heated through.   Serve immediately.

the soy sauce adds flavor and also darkens the rice

Added note:  Tonight, for dinner, Jack, true to form, complained about the onion.  I might have been able to fool him by sautéing the onion a bit before adding.  Since I like the crunchiness, though, next time I’ll probably dish his plate out before adding onion.