Family Meal Plan: Vegetable Confetti Cantonese Fried Rice Cup + Bubbly Ginger Limeade for One

Vegetable Confetti Cantonese Fried Rice Cup

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• crack :

  to break open or apart a food to get what's inside, like an egg or a coconut.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• microwave :

  to heat or cook food or liquid quickly in a microwave oven, which uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the food's water molecules.

• mince :

  to chop into teeny tiny pieces.

• peel :

  to remove the skin or rind from something using your hands or a metal tool.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

• smash :

  to break up food into smaller pieces or squash food to flatten or soften it.

• snip :

  to use scissors to cut something with quick, sharp strokes.

• squeeze :

  to firmly press or twist a food with fingers, hands, or a device to remove its liquid, like shredded potatoes, frozen and thawed spinach, or tofu.

• taste :

  to put a bit of food or drink in your mouth to determine whether more of an ingredient is needed to improve the flavor.

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

History of Fried Rice!

• Fried Rice is a main or side dish of cooked rice with a variety of added ingredients, like scrambled eggs, veggies, seafood, or meat. The rice mixture is then stir-fried, using a small amount of oil, in a skillet or wok. It is seasoned with salt, garlic, or other spices, and soy sauce or oyster sauce may be added. You can make it at home using either available leftovers or fresh foods. 
• The earliest mention of fried rice is from China during the Sui Dynasty (589-619 CE). It is believed to have developed as a way to use leftovers to avoid the Chinese taboo on wasting food.
• Although the dish began in China, several other Asian countries later adopted their own variations of Chinese fried rice using one or more unique ingredients. For example, in Indonesia, fried rice is considered one of their national dishes called "nasi goreng," and it includes sweet soy sauce and ground shrimp paste. 
• Fried rice isn't eaten only in Asia, however. Variations found elsewhere in the world include Portugal's "arroz chau-chau" and Peru's "arroz chaufa." In Africa, there is "Nigerian fried rice," and Puerto Rico has "arroz mamposteao." There are many, many more. Often, versions found on other continents began with the fried rice made by Chinese immigrants that were modified by their adopted countries using local foods and cooking methods.  
• Whichever version you eat and whatever ingredients you add, fried rice is delicious comfort food and a great way to use up leftovers!

Let's Learn About China!

• China's official name is The People's Republic of China. It became a republic in 1912; however, the first Chinese dynasty appeared around 2100 BCE. China is one of the largest countries in the world, and it has the most people!
• The official language of China is Mandarin. However, various dialects are spoken in different regions of the country. For example, in Shanghai, they speak Shanghainese.
• China is around the same size as the continental United States but only has one official time zone. The continental US has four.  
• China's capital city is Beijing, while the most populated city is Shanghai.  
• The Great Wall in China is the largest man-made construction on Earth, stretching an incredible 5,500 miles. Its builders used mortar that included sticky rice to bind the Great Wall's stones! 
• China's land is diverse, with high mountains, low coastal lands, deserts, and damp tropical areas. Just like the United States!
• The Chinese are known for their papermaking, porcelain, and silk cloth. In addition to paper, they also invented the compass during the Han dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE), woodblock printing in the Tang dynasty (by 7th century), gunpowder in the Tang dynasty (9th century), and movable type made of porcelain (for printing) between 1039 and 1048 CE, during the Song dynasty.
• Chinese cuisine varies by region. Climate, local agriculture, ethnic and class backgrounds, and outside influences all contribute to China's food diversity. There are eight major regional Chinese cuisines: Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan, and Zhejiang.
• Wheat is farmed in northern China, so noodles and other foods made from wheat are consumed more in the North. On the other hand, rice is cultivated in southern China; therefore, rice is a staple in the South.  
• Tea has long been part of Chinese culture across all parts of society. China was the first country to grow and drink tea and, today, it exports the most green tea worldwide.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in China?

• School success is greatly emphasized in China. Chinese kids go to school five days a week (six days before 1995), and their school day runs from 7:30 or 8 am until 4 or 5 pm. After school, they might do homework for three hours.
• In primary school, kids learn the Chinese language, which is made up of about 7,000 characters, not letters. The characters represent words. By the time they finish primary school, they will have learned about 4,000 characters. They will also learn a foreign language, especially English.
• Kids may not have aunts, uncles, or cousins because, at one time, the Chinese government allowed couples to have just one child due to the high population. That later changed to two, and in May 2021, the policy changed again to allow three kids, so now a child may have a sibling or two. 
• Some of the holidays that kids celebrate with their families are Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and National Day. National Day is celebrated with fireworks and parades to commemorate the formal proclamation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. 
• Kids enjoy playing ping pong, basketball, volleyball, and badminton. They also play video games and ride their bikes. 
• Rice and noodles are staples, and kids may eat these at every meal. They'll eat their food using chopsticks, not forks!