Reheating Sticky Rice Balls!
This is not my idea! This is definitely borrowed from one of my favorite chefs ever, Yotam Ottolenghi. His books are inspiring, his food magnificent, and he really, really loves his veggies. We made the rice balls his way, with our usual WECO twist, and that tamarind and charred tomato broth is just… you’ll see. The swiss chard and tomatillos were my addition to the party tonight, because like most people, I enjoy random acts of simplicity. It felt like we needed more beautiful veggies on this plate- so we added some salted tomatillos, which are lowkey my favorite veggie (fruit? help!), and simple swiss chard, which performs really well in a warm broth. The whole thing together reminds me of so many things- none of which I can really pin down, but they all evoke some serious nostalgia and memory. But at the same time, it’s a unique experience. That’s what truly delicious food can do- humble you, remind you of your insignificance in the world, the fact that we are just little ants crawling around on a rock- but at the same time, give you so much joy and pleasure that you don’t care. It’s like all purpose has been removed from your existence, willingly, and the weight off your shoulders propels you into another dimension of enjoyment. It’s just food. I gotta calm down.
To reheat, just pile all the veggies and rice balls into a big shallow bowl. Either microwave the broth (not really my idea of a good time), or warm it in a saucepot over medium high heat till steaming lightly. Pour the broth over the veggies in the bowl, and drizzle just a bit onto the rice balls. Grab a fork, and go nuts. I actually think maybe a spoon as well, for broth slurping. But I don’t need to tell you what utensils to use. Or do I? Do you guys want me to include that in the reheating instructions? Cause I can!
Whatever you want, I’m up for. Enjoy your dinner 🙂
If you got some beef:
Beef + rice balls = a really good time. That’s some simple math. Only thing that would make it any better would be some sort of puffed rice cracker, but I’m working on that. The instructions for reheating with the BBQ beef are the same as the standard rice bowl instructions- so carry out that procedure as normal. However, the beef wants to be broiled. It told me, in confidence, that it wants to be broiled. So don’t tell the beef that I told you, or things could get pretty awkward. Spread out the beef on a sheet tray lined with foil, broil, and once it’s hot, it’s ready. Add it to the bowl with the rice balls and veggies, and once that broth is hot, pour it on over. So easy. So good. Very. Very nice. So nice. Flavor. Revel in the flavor.
Enjoy! <3 WECO
