Some of you know that I have been dabbling in a little bit of creative writing. What none of you know, however, is that most of my stories come from my dreams and are overwhelmingly unresolved, like my stories. But last night I had the most perfect and finished dream/nightmare, with an intense plot, climax, and resolution. The only problem is that I can’t decide the genre. Maybe you can help? Here it goes:
The story/dream/nightmare begins with a couple sitting on a park bench, hand in hand, staring at the flickering reflection of the burning pyre in the Ganges (it is their idea of a romantic night out. Who are we to judge?). They comfort each other, assuring each other that the trauma of the girl’s past relationship, the toxic murderous ex, will not come back to haunt the couple. Their fears slowly fade away just as they watch the fire disappear with the ripples, replaced by the glory of the full February moon. As the wind starts to get chilly and the impending fog thickens, the couple starts walking towards the Chinese restaurant where they are supposed to meet their friend’s new partner for dinner. The park is strewn with dry and crispy lily petals, disintegrating under their footsteps and into the cold wind…The restaurant is dimly lit and smells like blood sausages and burnt garlic. They find a table in one corner and pour themselves hot tea from the individual teapots placed on each table. Soon the friend they have been waiting for comes and hugs them excitedly from behind. The couple turns around to greet the new partner and silence follow…
No one says a word for the rest of the dinner, other than the friend who keeps muttering, awkwardly, ‘I love chicken!’. But everyone enjoys the fried rice with burnt garlic, shrimp, and chicken.
Guess who they see?
Restaurant-style Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups Jasmine or basmati rice, cooked
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 1/2 cup green beans, diced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup Spring Onion, chopped
- 1 cup boneless chicken, cooked and diced
- 1/2 cup shrimps
- 1/4 tsp MSG optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan or wok. Add ginger and garlic and sauce for 30 seconds.
- Add diced carrots and beans and saute over medium heat until cooked. You may decide to pre-cook the vegetables, but if you cut them finely enough, you can saute them directly.
- Now add shrimp and cook for a minute or two.
- Add cooked chicken pieces and stir to coat. Now add soy sauce and MSG (if using), and saute for a minute.
- Add vinegar, black pepper powder, spring onion, and salt. Add the cooked rice, stir to mix everything evenly, and remove from heat. Serve hot with chili chicken.
Dhrubaa Mukherjee--An academic by profession, a contributor to Huffington Post, a dancer by passion, a compulsive foodie, a former flight attendant, and a constant traveler, I am, what they call, a transnational gourmand (gourmet?). I am not only fascinated by the tastes, colors, textures and aromas of food, I am equally intrigued by the histories, traditions and cultural inter-junctions that drive/influence recipes.
Made this for dinner last night and it was a hit with everyone!! I love the list of simple ingredients that are available in pantry, quick cooking time, and the delicious flavor.