cook: kimchi fried rice + weeklong getaway

I had leftovers in the fridge before my Palm Springs getaway. Patrick would probably let the leftover rice and chicken spoil, and so I cooked another arroz con pollo for him to finish off the chicken and cooked kimchi fried rice to finish off the brown and jasmine rice. First I coated the stale rice in a couple teaspoons of sesame oil. 

And next the kimchi. I squeezed the kimchi juice from a third of the fermented cabbage in the jar into a separate bowl.                          

And then chopped the kimchi, scallions, a stump of purple cabbage in the veggie bin, and a few cloves of garlic. Cabbage upon cabbage in this rice dish. And then it was time to sweat the cabbage in a hot pan to get crisp and flavorful and also add soy sauce and Gochuchang sauce to the kimchi juice.      

And once the cabbage mixture looked crisp, I added the oiled rice. And sliced up a can of Spam.         

I know it seems pointless to squeeze and cook off all that moisture from the cabbage only to add it all back in, but this step is the basis for texture AND flavor.                               

 

When the rice looked nearly done, I fried the slices of Spam and started plating.                                

 

Lastly a runny fried egg.  And storing and labeling leftovers for Patrick to eat this week.           

 

It was yummy as usual.                  

I would’ve brought these leftovers to eat at our Airbnb in the Palm Springs area, but there was no room in the car for a cooler. But we are so close to Coachella and its Walmart and am stocked with lots to drink already.         

 

Helen is disappointed with how basic and ugly our Airbnb is, but I had told her when she booked it that it was not going to be hipster, nor stylish because we didn't plan and reserve far enough in advance. However, it is clean and comfortable and is flooded with Southern California sunshine. I do like the surrounding landscape of desert, mountain, clouds and sky. And there's nothing on my agenda for this spring break except for the Palm Springs Art Museum....

and more excitingly, the Modern Chair exhibit.

And so Thursday will be devoted to art and architecture in Palm Springs while Friday will be my tour of the house and garden of the Annenberg manse in Rancho Mirage. But Tuesday and Wednesday? No clue though I do pick up a car on Wednesday. And so maybe a date garden or orchard? I think our friends, Judy and Mark have planned for thrift store and cute boutique shopping and dinners at their favorite restaurants. I'm letting go of my need to control the schedule and maybe just walk to the Walmart to get needle and more thread and quilt the morning away after I finish my coffee.