unDumbing

To wake up my taste buds, all I need is the sweetness, tartness, and spiciness from the new rice dish that I tried last month.

Below are some links to more details, including photos:

• My Story
• Inspiring Recipe
  • First Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
  • Second Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
• Continuous Improvement
• Lesson for Dumber Self
• Next Step for You

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My Story

My younger son got a free bottle of ketchup, so I wanted to find a way to use it. After searching online, I found a recipe and waited until one of the main ingredients was on sale.

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Inspiring Recipe

When tomatoes were on sale at the local supermarket, I was excited to try the Easy Tomato and Egg Rice Recipe: 15 Minute Meal found on the blog, Tiffy Cooks.

First Try

After buying tomatoes, I was able to find the remaining ingredients at home!

Ingredients to Use

The recipe called for four medium tomatoes and according to the post, Fresh Tomato Weights (Ultimate Guide With Charts & Calculator), from the site, Weigh School, a medium tomato weighs 2.6-5.3 ounces. Based on this information, the 1.24 pounds that I purchased was the perfect amount for the default recipe.

Regarding the remaining ingredients on the list, I omitted the dashi powder since it was noted as optional and I didn’t want to buy something that I would use only for this recipe.

Steps to Prepare

For the instructions, I made minor tweaks to half the steps, as follows:

• Step 2 – Used a saucepan instead of a pot to cook in.
• Step 4 – Didn’t add white pepper to the ketchup, since I was going to do it in Step 7, if needed after tasting.
• Step 7 – Didn’t need to add pepper or salt because there was enough flavor.
• Step 8 – Didn’t add rice to the dish, so I could make individual servings.

Time to Eat

Here’s a colorful bowl of dinner ready to be devoured.

Recipe Rating

Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:

# of Ingredients	Effort	$ / Serving	Try Again?
12 *

The rice was delicious thanks to the sauce. There was a little tanginess from the tomatoes, hint of sugariness from the ketchup, and kick from the white pepper. Both my husband and younger son enjoyed it as well.

Second Try

For the second time, I just wanted to duplicate the flavors.

Ingredients to Use

For the second round, I omitted the dashi powder like before. However, since I started this time with four heavier tomatoes (1.54 pounds), I increased the rest of the measured ingredients to the following amounts:

1. 4 eggs
2. 1 1/8 teaspoons of white pepper
3. 2 1/2 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons of ketchup
4. 1 1/2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon of soy sauce
5. 3 green onions
6. 4 garlic cloves
7. 1 1/2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon of potato starch*
8. 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of cold water

For the salt and oil, I just planned for an amount that looked right. As for the rice, I aimed for an amount that was more than enough for everyone.

*Since I ran out of corn starch, I bought a bag of potato starch and converted it based on 1 1/2 tablespoons of potato starch equaling 1 tablespoon of corn starch. The formula was a tip from 10 Cornstarch Substitutes in a Pinch, found at the site, Zestful Kitchen.

Steps to Prepare

As compared to the first try regarding the process, I only made a minor adjustment to Step 4 after sautéing the tomatoes for four minutes in the previous step. After adding white pepper to the sauce this time, I switched the heat to medium because the liquid was splattering the stove.

Time to Eat

With a change in the starch, I wasn’t sure if it was going to impact the dish.

Recipe Rating

Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:

# of Ingredients	Effort	$ / Serving	Try Again?
12 *

Again, the dish was very tasty. However, some of the potato starch turned into a gel.

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The next time I have a craving for tomato and egg rice, I will make it better by doing the following:

Continuous Improvement

1. Switch back to corn starch for the sauce thickener instead of using potato starch.

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Because I had to switch from corn to potato starch during the second try, I learned the following that I would like to share with my previous self:

Lesson for Dumber Self

1. Different starches don’t react the same way.

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What will you do now?

Next Step for You

1. Try the recipe, Easy Tomato and Egg Rice Recipe: 15 Minute Meal, found on the blog, Tiffy Cooks?
2. Learn how the different starches perform in cooking? (10 Cornstarch Substitutes in a Pinch, found at the site, Zestful Kitchen, is a good start.)
3. Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)

It’s your choice!