Dinner In a Pinch!

I've been prepping a post on my winter coat essentials, but I've been slacking on taking all the necessary photos. So in the meantime, here is a post on my go-to dinner. You know, the dish you make when you don't feel like heading out to the grocery and use whatever is in the cabinet/fridge. I'm Korean, and I've been trying to expand my Korean dish repertoire (mainly to get the husband to eat a bit healthier), so I always have garlic, ginger, and scallions sitting around as well as slices of pork belly in the freezer.

This recipe is adapted from one I saw in Food & Wine magazine a couple years ago, by Hung Huynh the Season 3 winner of Top Chef (love that show!). The end product is a tasty dish that my husband and I absolutely love! Below is my modified recipe for 'Hung's Clay Pot Rice':

Ingredients:
- 1 cup short-grain rice
- mushrooms (I used a handful of beech mushrooms and a handful of enoki mushrooms. 4-5 fresh shiitake mushrooms work well too.)
- 2 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 thick slice of pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh giner
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. In a bowl, cover the rice with water and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the rice.
2. In another bowl, toss the mushrooms and scallions with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for 20 minutes.

3. In a clay pot or medium saucepan, cook the pork belly over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, until the fat is rendered.

4. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

5. Add the soaked rice and stir.

6. Add the marinated mushrooms and scallions, the water and the remaining 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat.

7. Cover the pot and cook the rice over low heat until tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and cook the rice, covered, for about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve!

We love this dish with sriracha sauce, which gives it a little extra spice! I also whipped up some hot and sour soup and served it along with some Korean side dishes, which made this an easy weeknight dinner!

What are some of your go-to dinners? I'd love to hear them!