Please pass the rice!

If there’s such a thing as a “rice-eating gene”, it definitely runs in my family.  Or perhaps it originated in my family.  For as long as I can remember, my dad has always loved rice.  He wholeheartedly believes that a meal is not complete without it.  All our relatives and family friends are very aware of dad’s rice fixation.  Even when my mom would occasionally stray away from the wok and roast a traditional prime rib for dinner, that Chinese rice pot always made its way onto the Lazy Susan, right next to the au jus.  (Au jus-over-steamed-white rice, anyone?  It’s actually not bad.)  Don’t worry, I won’t be posting a recipe for that on my blog.  

A tribute to dad’s love affair with rice:  his 60^th birthday cake (17 years ago) was decorated with a bowl of rice and chopsticks (made out of marzipan).  Also pictured, from left, my grandpa (who I mentioned in my Chinese New Year story, who didn’t really have a glass eye), my mom, and my nephew, Steven.

But one particular Chinese dish that brings out the “rice-eating gene” in everyone in my family is Mapo Tofu.  This spicy bean curd recipe has such a tasty flavor, you must eat it over steamed rice to soak up every drop of savory sauce.  I have to admit, “bean curd” does not sound like the most appetizing food.  Plus, it doesn’t exactly look that appealing either.  But this dish is definitely a mouth-watering favorite for everyone in our immediate family.  Even all the kids, ranging from 8 years to 21 years, just love it.  They always come back for more, which means my mom always make sure she has plenty of rice.  Who knows?  After you try it, you may just catch the “rice-eating gene” yourself!