how to enjoy rice
someone once told me that rice is the water of foods, tasteless and necessary. no. try this:
basic: take two parts liquid plus a small amount of some fat and boil. add one part rice, return to boil, stir well. turn heat to low, cover and simmer til water is gone.
coconut rice: use a can of coconut water as part of the liquid, use basmati rice and add a teaspoon of cardamom. if you don't like the sugar, use two tablespoons of coconut milk instead of the coconut water. warning: when you try to boil semisoluble fats and water together, the solution will try to superheat, meaning it will suddenly boil over. watch it and stir to prevent.
mango rice: chop up a mango and add it to the water before boiling, along with a dash of chili and two tablespoons of coconutmilk. add the basmati rice. now, this is a dessert, and the mango enzyme chew the rice to goo, so it wants to stick - don't let it. stir often (you normally don't take the cover off rice after you turn it down). if you want, use a can of mango nectar or other juice from the mexican section or equivalent.
how to peel a mango - mangoes have trapezoidal pits, running longway along the 'seam' if you can see it. cut two main slices parallel to the seam, then try an angled cut on the remainder - if you hit seed, reverse the angle. repeat. take the cut pieces to a glass and slide the glass between the skin and the meat. it's easy if it's ripe.
So I made this modified version with good success. Precook boxed lasanga noodles (I usually make my own, but was worried how well they'd stay in a roll form, so stuck with box. I made TVP using a vegan chicken broth. I think the next time, I may just use hot water, TVP, and dash or two of celery seed. The ricotta cheese mix was 1.5 cups of ricotta cheese, about one cup of mozzarella, and one egg. The TVP mix was TVP and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. I laid out a noodle, and over the first half placed a thin coating of the TVP mix. I then sprinkled just a little mozzarella on top. Then the other half, I coated with the ricotta mixture. Rolled up the noodle starting at the TVP end, as the moister ricotta end would adhere better to help keep the roll together. Put them all in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan add a little more mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top of each one, then add tomato sauce around them. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 uncovered. I also chopped up mushrooms, cooked them without oil in a stick free pan, then added plain tomato sauce. The result is above and below.
