Hoshiyama Fried Rice Guest post by Diane Vallere

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm really excited about today's guest, as I loved the first book in her new series. And she's here to share a recipe from the book, and also offer a giveaway! Welcome Diane!

DIANE VALLERE: I am what you might call an experimental cook. I’ll toss things in (or not) at whim, add things (or not) based on the contents of my fridge, and eyeball measurements. The following recipe is one that morphed from a clone recipe for Benihana fried rice and a recipe in an old cookbook. I’ve made many versions over the years and it always delivers.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 egg

1 cup cooked white rice

1 stalk celery

1 carrot

1-2 green onions

1 cup bean sprouts

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp butter

2-3 cloves garlic

(I didn’t realize I had no carrots, so I’m substituting a stalk from greens instead. This could go awry, but I suspect it’ll work!)

1.     Take butter out of fridge

2.     Turn empty pan on low to preheat

3.     dice: green onion, celery, carrot

4.     mince garlic

(Lots of chopping! Make sure your knife is sharp!)

Let's get started!

5.     crack egg into cup and whisk, set aside

6.     add 2 tbsp sesame oil to pan

7.     add onion, garlic, and butter to pan. *if you are making chicken fried rice, add uncooked chicken here.

8.     turn heat to medium and stir until evenly coated

9.     push to sides of pan

10.  add cooked rice

A wooden spoon is a must have for this dish, as is a pan with high sides.

11.  break apart and mix with onion/garlic/oil mixture until evenly coated. push to sides of pan

12.  add diced veggies

We’re getting there!

13.  cook in center of pan for about 1 minute, then mix with rice and other stuff in pan. When mixed, push to sides of pan, leaving space in the middle *if you are making shrimp fried rice, add uncooked shrimp here.

14.  pour whisked egg into center of pan. let it cook. When it starts to set, mix in with rice/veggie mixture until evenly mixed and egg is cooked.

If you ignored step 5, you will be scrambling to crack and whip up your egg right now. Follow directions!

15.  add 1 tbsp soy sauce

16.  sprinkle sesame seeds on top

17.  give it another turn in the pan and then you’re done!

Serve and enjoy!

An extended version of this recipe can be found in A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR. Also, you can read about the time that Tak Hoshiyama makes this very dish for Margo Tamblyn. One lucky commenter will win a copy of the book!

About the book:

No sooner does former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn return home to Proper City, Nevada, to run Disguise DeLimit, her family’s costume shop, than she gets her first big order. Wealthy nuisance Blitz Manners needs forty costumes for a detective-themed birthday bash. As for Blitz himself, his Sherlock Holmes is to die for—literally—when, in the middle of the festivities, Margo’s friend and party planner Ebony Welles is caught brandishing a carving knife over a very dead Blitz.

For Margo, clearing Ebony’s name is anything but elementary, especially after Ebony flees town. Now Margo is left to play real-life detective in a town full of masked motives, cloaked secrets, and veiled vendettas. But as she soon learns, even a killer disguise can’t hide a murderer in plain sight for long.

INCLUDES RECIPES AND COSTUME IDEAS!

About Diane:

After a career in retail, Diane Vallere traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR is the first in her new Costume Shop Mystery Series. Diane also writes the Madison Night, Style & Error, and Lefty-Nominated Material Witness Mysteries. She is also the Vice President of Sisters in Crime.  She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.