Saigon Burnt Rice
Years ago, while on a work trip to Vietnam, I was invited out by another lover of food to a small restaurant in Saigon, one of those where you eat on wooden folding tables and chairs (a step up from the low plastic chairs) on the sidewalk in front of the open air restaurant. My friend knew the chef well and so instead of ordering, plates just arrived, and arrived, and arrived. When we ran out of the wine we brought and had finished most of the restaurant’s beer, we simply dialed the phone, and a nice man on a motor-bike came by and dropped off more. That’s simply how they do it. Brilliant actually. The food was amazing and I too soon became friends with the chef. On my many subsequent visits, I would come to her restaurant as the evening was ending and she and I would dine together (her kitchen staff often cooked) late into the night and have deep conversations about life, relationships, food, politics, travel, and of course, more food. She’s been a source of inspiration over the years and I’ve often texted her for advice on recreating one of my favorite of her dishes. Over the years, I’ve added my own twists to this dish.
Ingredients:
- Cooked rice. It’s best that is cooked at least 24 hours in advance, spread on a baking pan to cool, and put in the refrigerator overnight. You want the rice a bit dry. 4 cups will do.
- Carrots (chopped into small pieces)
- Peas
- Edamame
- Onion
- Garlic
- Avocado
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Salt/Pepper/Olive oil
- Tofu/Beef/Chicken/Pork (any protein works)
- Sriracha sauce
Begin by chopping up the onion and garlic. ½ an onion and as much garlic as you have on hand will do. Heat oil in a large pan or wok and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and the aroma of the garlic is released (2-3 minutes). Add the rice and toss to coat evenly. Let it sit over medium-high heat allowing the bottom to burn slightly. This will take longer than you think.
In a separate pan cook your protein. Use a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I like to cube my tofu first and they fry it – with the other proteins s I tend to cook 6oz portion-sized pieces whole to keep them from drying out.
Go back to the rice and douse well with sriracha sauce. You’ll have to decide how much heat to take. Toss to coat the rice and let it fry some more. If needed, add some oil and sprinkle with salt. Practice your moves by switching back and forth from the rice to the protein until the protein is done (you could have done this earlier too). A word of caution here, when Sriracha sauce gets to a certain heat-point it smokes and can cause you to cough a bit – call it an occupational hazard. It’s a good idea to use your vent hood when making this dish!
Add the carrots, peas, and edamame to the rice, toss and cook. At this point, you should have parts of the rice that are hard and crispy, bordering on burnt. Slice the protein into strips or pieces and toss into the dish (alternatively you can lay it on top of the finished dish). Add cilantro and give everything one last toss and heat for another minute or so.
Garnish with avocado and lime. Serve in the pan for best results.
