bits and pieces

Has it really been nearly two months since I last tried a new recipe? Oh dear. I’ve certainly collected a number of recipes I meant to try, even going so far as to clean out some that I knew I would never try. But of the ones I kept, I just couldn’t find one to get me going, or they didn’t look as good as the first time I’d seen them.

That even happened with this recipe that I did finally try. At first glance, it seemed interesting, even with the use of chicken broth in an “Asian” dish. Later, it seemed less appealing, but I ended up going for it anyway. I substituted a few things and added other ingredients, knowing it might not work. I don’t think I did too badly though.

The most obvious substitution for me was to use dashi instead of chicken broth. Especially with such a lovely fish as salmon as the main ingredient, I had to use a fish and seaweed-based broth for sure. Next, I swapped out the long-grain rice and used the regular short-grain rice I normally have on hand. (I don’t remember the name, but it’s one of the house brand varieties from a nearby Japanese market.) The recipe had a note about this possibility, but what it didn’t say was anything about adjusting the liquid content of the soup. Which ended up causing minor problems later.

For good measure, I also added some seaweed (I had a packet of dehydrated kombu in the cupboard) and a little bit of spinach, just to have something else besides the rice and salmon. The garnish of green onions and cilantro stayed.

I boiled and simmered and eventually got what was more of a stew or gruel consistency than soup. I usually like heartier soups or stews, but this was a little too heavy for me. Very filling, but it tasted fine. I think it was a problem with the short-grain rice and amount of liquid. The instructions said short-grain rice can soak up more liquid, but I didn’t realize it would be this much. I even added a little water while it was simmering, but it was pretty thick even so.

The salmon was done perfectly, and I liked the slight crunch of the green onions, though it wasn’t something I expected. The cilantro added a nice flavor, though I didn’t fish out the stems, as they suggested (good luck with that!). In addition to sorting out the liquid/rice issue, I think I’d also leave out the spinach but keep the seaweed.

We’ll see how this reheats later, but for now, here’s the original recipe:

Asian Salmon-and-Rice Soup
Serves 4

A quick-to-make meal-in-a-bowl, this soup is inspired by similar one-dish wonders popular in China, Thailand, and Japan. The rice is sometimes cooked for so long that it completely dissolves, making a smooth gruel. Our version doesn’t go that far; we like the rice to be soft, but still retain its shape.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup long-grain rice
• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet, skin removed, fish cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
• 10 cilantro stems, chopped, plus 1 cup cilantro leaves for garnish
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 4 cups water
• 3 scallions including green tops, chopped

Preparation

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice and boil until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Coat the salmon with the soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. In a large pot, combine the cooked rice, the cilantro stems, the ginger, salt, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
4. Add the salmon to the pot. Simmer, covered, until the salmon is just done, about 5 minutes. Remove the cilantro stems. Serve the soup garnished with the cilantro leaves and scallions.

Notes: We used long-grain rice for our soup. In China and Japan, it would be made with short-grain, which is starchier and dissolves into the soup more readily. If you want to go the short-grain route, arborio is readily available.