If you've never cruised, you don't understand the 24 hour food orgy at all! Eat breakfast in the dining room. Then an hour later head on up to the buffet on the Lido deck and have second breakfast. And then another hour later...make your way over to the 24 hour pizza station for a slice or two of the gourmet pizza! Well...then it's time for lunch! And you start that process all over again. Give yourself a couple of hours in the evening before you start on dinner. And that's just so you can get dressed up (if you choose) to go to the dining room.
In the dining room, they'll place your napkin in your lap for you and put a leather bound menu in your hands. Choose a "starter," an entree, or two of each. There's no extra cost! And as soon as your meal is finished, your waiter will already be anticipating your desire for dessert and coffee. The chocolate melting cake is my favorite on Carnival Cruise Line. Some day....I'll learn to make it for myself!
There are plenty of spots to find good food. And usually a very large variety. The ship we were on last weekend, also had a little deli, a burger joint, and a Chinese "take-out." No fear! I tried it all! And I LOVED...most of it.
I was so very disappointed in the Chinese "take-out." It didn't satisfy my craving for Chinese food. And it made my honey's tummy hurt. It just wasn't good! This made me sad. But I assure you, I held back the tears. Because the reality is...it's very hard to find good Chinese food anywhere near me anyway.
Having started the Chinese food craving while on the ship...I came home realizing that I was just going to have to take matters into my own hands. So I made some pork fried rice. And EVERYONE was happy!
Over the last couple of years I've watched many TV chefs, researched online, and finally just experimented for myself and developed a recipe that beats the heck out of anything we've ever ordered...anywhere!
Chinese food doesn't have to be scary. And as I mentioned in my Chinese New Year post, neither does the Chinese market. You need to be sure what flavors you are really looking for, and don't be afraid to ask someone. When you check out the "sauce aisle" you'll understand exactly how confusing it can be if you go unprepared. I'm lucky enough to be married to a very handsome Chinese/Canadian that loves to cook. So he guides me through it.
To make one recipe of fried rice, I use 2 cups of white rice (really any kind will do), about a pound of ground pork, 2 cups of chopped carrots, cup of frozen petite peas, 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/3 cup of "light" soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of "dark"soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and that's all!
Go ahead and cook up your rice in advance. If you can use day-old rice it's best, but if not don't worry. Just use what you've got! I honestly don't know how to make anything but "sticky" rice. It doesn't phase my family at all! Keep in mind, it takes about 30 minutes for your rice to cook. So just don't leave it until last.
Now for the prep-work. Finely chop those onions, and then peal and chop the carrots. I REALLY like carrots. So I always use at least 2 cups of chopped carrots. Sometimes more. But make sure you chop them pretty small so that they cook easier and faster.
Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to your wok (or large skillet) and turn the heat on low. As soon as your onions are chopped, add them to the already hot oil and let them sautee until they're translucent. When they're ready, turn the heat up to high and add the tablespoon of minced garlic just before putting the ground pork into the wok. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and stir this together and break it up very well. I have a handy little tool that I got from Pampered Chef for just that purpose You'll need to brown it like you do ground beef, it just won't get as dark.
Once you can see that the pork is cooked through, add in the tablespoon of sweet chili sauce. You can leave this step out if you'd rather. I just like a little "zip" in my fried rice! Sometimes...I even get adventurous and add TWO tablespoons of sweet chili sauce! But that makes it a little more on the spicy side.
Stir in the chili sauce and add the chopped carrots. Cook the pork and carrots for two or three minutes stirring often. Then add the frozen (but defrosted!) peas to the mix. Let this all cook together for about 5 to 7 minutes. You don't want mushy carrots...but you do want to make sure they are good and cooked!
Now you're going to add the rice to the wok. Go ahead! Just dump it in! It's almost fried rice! Once it's in...stir it around and break up all of the clumps.
Doesn't look like fried rice yet? The next steps will make that happen...and you'll be as amazed as I was the first time I made it. Pour in 1/3 cup of "light" soy sauce and stir. Try to make sure that all of the rice is covered. It'll be a light brown color. Then add 2 tablespoons of "dark" soy sauce. This should bring it up to the pretty caramel color we're all used to. There's just barely a difference between "light" and "dark" soy sauce. Mostly it's in how they're processed. And the flavor is only slightly different. So if all you have is store-bought soy sauce...just use that instead, making it 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons of the same soy sauce.
It should be starting to look familiar to you now! Just one more step and we're ready to taste! Turn the heat down to medium and take your spoon (I use a bamboo spoon on my non-stick pans) and make a "well" in the center of your rice. Drop the tablespoon of butter (or use vegetable oil if you can't use butter) into the center of that well. Break your three eggs into a small bowl and scramble them up with either a fork or a wisk. Now pour the eggs down into that well and let it sit for a minute or so. As soon as you see the eggs start cooking on the bottom of the pan, begin slowly incorporating the rice down into the eggs. Then just stir it all up. You should start seeing "chunks" of scrambled egg throughout.
Now does it look like fried rice? It should! Because as soon as you see that all of the egg is thoroughly cooked, you're done! Grab a tasting spoon and take a bite! Be careful! It's hot!
Pour the whole pan of pork fried rice into a nice serving dish and put it on the table. This usually feeds my whole family of 7 with a bit of leftovers. Be prepared for compliments galore! Need a dish to take to a potluck? This one travels well!
One quick note...unlike my other dishes that include multiple vegetables in them, do NOT add extra salt for each ingredient! Just salt the pork and the rice...and let the soy sauce do it's thing! It'll be way too salty if you add to the carrots and peas.
When you're done eating this amazing dish...call my favorite travel agent (my sweetie!) and book yourself on a cruise!
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