It’s maybe not Thanksgiving Without White Rice

The Thanksgiving dining table is certainly not a complete stranger to carbs—potatoes, cornbread, rolls, biscuits, mac and*) that is cheese( stuffing. But the one carb that will leave mine is never grain. I’m perhaps not discussing aromatic grain pilaf or wild grain dressing, but the usual white grain directly from my Zojirushi grain cooker.

There tend to be tactical advantageous assets to the existence of this cooking pot of grain. It will require seconds that are mere prep and can be assigned to virtually any family member (my elder brother in our case). It masterfully soaks up gravy and the mish-mash of flavors of the meal, and is a element that is necessary my personal recommended next-day utilization of leftovers: Food/views/taiwanese-turkey-rice-clarissa-wei” rel=”noopener”>turkey fried rice and turkey congee.

Growing up, we spent most Thanksgivings with my mom’s side of the family. My mom is Chinese American and rice graced our dinner table every night of the week (and often breakfast and lunch too). We didn’t only eat rice with Chinese-ish meals. It was the base for roast chicken, steak, and grilled vegetables, and an essential inclusion to each and every soup. At any given time, there was always a spare quart or two of rice in the fridge for fried rice with lap cheong or bacon.

For many Asian American families who celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s logical that rice has a seat at the dinner table. It’s there just about every other night and, in a meal that otherwise looks distinctly American, is a way of tying our roots back to our heritage. Even though each year’s feast looks a bit different (the first year after my parents moved to Miami, I made a key lime pie instead of pumpkin), the one constant at every Thanksgiving meal is a perfect pot of rice.