Asian Glazed Short Ribs and Fried Rice

For once, I remembered to put food in the crock pot in the morning, to cook all day and make my house smell wonderful. Usually when I have a busy day ahead, I plan on using the crock pot and never get the food started, leaving me scrambling for hot dogs or something.

That made this taste all the better!

4 lbs beef short ribs
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 chili sauce*
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

* Find chili sauce in the ketchup aisle, up by the cocktail sauce.

In the crock pot, arrange the ribs. Combine on the onion soup mix, apricot preserves, chili sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. Pour over the meat.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours, until ribs are tender. Mine fell off the bone, and I was lucky to get one to hold it's shape long enough to get on the plate for the photo!

Remove ribs to a serving platter, keep warm. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir into sauce and cook, covered, in the crock pot for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened. Pour sauce over ribs.


Fried Rice

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp chinese 5-spice*
2 eggs
1/2 cup frozen peas
soy sauce to taste

*note about 5-spice. Comes ready mixed in the spice aisle, or make your own: cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, fennel-toasted and ground, and anise seed-toasted and ground. I didn't have ready mixed, and tried to make my own with equal parts of everything. It would have tasted right if I had the anise but that is one exotic spice that I don't have. One of the few that I don't keep around, which is odd.

Bring water to boil in heavy sauce pan. Add rice, stir and bring to boil. Stir again, cover pot, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes.

Heat oil and sesame seed oil in a skillet until oil is hot. Add rice and 5 spice powder, heat through. Move rice out to the edges of the pan, leave a hole in the center. Crack both eggs into the middle of the pan. Let them sit for a few seconds and then stir the rice in. Keep stirring until the eggs are cooked. Add peas and heat through.

You will need soy sauce to season it or it will be quite bland. I think I used about 2 tbsp in total before it had enough flavor for me. I like to use lite soy sauce, less sodium and it has a tangier flavor, like you added lemon juice to it or something.

The pork was delicious! Like barbeque pork ribs, but with an asian twist! The hubby ate it the next day for lunch, and there is none left... The rice turned out pretty well too, except for the 4-spice. The anise would have made it the rest of the way...