bacon and mushroom baked rice

I am forever recycling leftovers by making fried rice for lunch the next day – especially now that the weather has turned and it’s too cold for salads and sandwiches. I decided to put in a little more effort today and made a parmesan and cream sauce topped baked rice. It may seem odd to include cheese and cream in what is essentially an oriental dish, but this kind of pseudo-western dish is very popular in HK and personally I think it works rather well (although B may beg to differ). Rich and somewhat indulgent, this comforting dish takes your everyday fried rice up a notch with not much extra work at all.

Bacon and Mushroom Baked Rice
serves 2

2 cups cold cooked rice
4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
10-12 white mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
90ml (6 tbsp) water
1 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp single or double cream
freshly grated parmesan
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F).

First make your sauce. In a small saucepan heat the water, stock powder (you can also just use 90ml of stock instead of water and omit the stock powder) and cream and gently simmer for a few minutes. Combine the cornflour with a tbsp water, then add to the sauce to thicken. Keep warm.

Melt the butter in a hot pan or wok and fry the onions with the garlic for a couple of minutes until they appear translucent. add the bacon and fry until it is golden, then add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have also coloured, taste and season.

Add the cold rice to the pan, breaking up any clumps with a spoon. Toss the ingredients together until it is well combined and the rice is heated through. Push the rice to one side of the pan then pour in the beaten egg, stirring until almost set, then mix in with the rice, together with the soy sauce.

Spoon the fried rice into a oven proof dish and top with the cream sauce. Grate over a generous amount of fresh parmesan then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

  

~ by gourmettraveller on November 10, 2009.