Rice Twice

A meal is not a meal unless you have rice," my asian father, Nhu Minh, believes. When I'm cooking an Asian dinner, I have to agree—but as a result, I usually have rice left over. So what do I do with it? Fried rice, of course! Day-old rice, refrigerated overnight, is ideal for the purpose: The grains dry out and stay separate when stir-fried. Hiroko Shimbo-Beitchman, author of Magical Miso, makes stir-fried brown rice in this way as a side dish for her panfried miso-marinated beef: Melt 2 tbsp. suet (vegetable oil may be substituted) in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 minced peeled small yellow onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add 3 minced peeled cloves garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add 4 cups of day-old cooked brown rice, stir with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, and fry until heated through, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Add 4 oz. trimmed shimeji mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Serves 4-6.