Bearing Brown Rice

Greg prefers white rice to brown. Actually, he just doesn't like brown rice, or so he thinks. This has been a subject of debate for us. I don't think I have yet proved myself, though my arguments are so solid, so fibrous! I know I will win, one day.

The point is, Greg thinks white rice tastes better and doesn't like the texture of brown rice. I say brown rice has a fun texture and a great toasty taste. And it is better for you. I refuse to eat white rice because it tastes too much like candy. (Well, I think it tastes great but I would rather get my calories from something more nutritious, and I also think brown rice is very nice....In fact a favorite snack sometimes is a small bowl of hot, freshly steamed brown rice with olive oil and salt and pepper thrown on it. This is heavenly.)

I was excited about making a healthy vegetable stir-fry with brown rice and tofu today, because all weekend Greg and I ate mostly potatoes, pancakes and pasta. I need to redeem myself and save him too! Whenever I plan to make tofu for Greg (or brown rice), I get nervous. I have to make it great! Because if I make it absolutely amazing and delicious, he still won't notice and only then might he barely tolerate it. Maybe I am being harsh, but this is the state I am in after some trials.

So, I went for a walk this afternoon and decided that toasted sesame oil might help the stir-fry and the rice situation. Just last week I noticed an Asian Laden (asian food shop!) a few blocks from here. There is another shop I visit for Indian/Mexican/Asian ingredients but this new place has more of the particularly "Asian" stuff. It is great and even has a big refridgerator full of fresh herbs like cilantro and thai basil and lemongrass and fresh tofu too.

I try to be very frugal in the ingredients I buy here in Germany. I don't have a job (legally I can't have one) and Greg isn't moved by or really even aware of the things that one must buy to make good food. So I have a very limited selection of herbs and oils and vinegars and the other basics one might need to make great tasting food. I am thinking of this period as an experiment in how simple really is good....But I do think Sesame Oil adds a lot, and so for the first time I bought some here. I would really like to buy rice wine vinegar or some seaweed or other things that make japanese food so good. I don't have much experience with these ingredients but have a desire to become adept at making tasty Japanese-style meals.

Anyway, with my shorter list of ingredients, I stir-fried the veggies in a little oil and then added some miso (mixed with water) and cooked til the water was gone. It was ok, but missing something. (I had started with onion, garlic and ginger...) Maybe hot peppers, or some of that rice vinegar, or even just cilantro would have made this work better. Or perhaps I added just a bit too much miso. I have tried this trick of steaming/stir-frying vegetables in miso in the past and it is always delcious. This was the first time I used the very dark kind of miso paste. Maybe that was the problem. I'll work on this recipe and post it later when it is good!

Meanwhile, look at my recipe for no-fail, delicious tofu! Greg said that the meal, of miso-stir-fried veggies, brown rice and baked tofu was "very good, despite the brown rice and tofu." He also said after his first taste of the tofu that it was the best tofu he's ever had. He hasn't had much, but I'll take what compliments I can get!