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Two Minute Semi-Gourmet: Seeds of Change Rice and Annie Chun Noodle Bowls
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Published: Sep 22, 2020
Category:
Food and Wine
The pandemic turned a great many of us into bakers. Bread. Pies. Cakes. Some of us opened international cookbooks, discovered spices, cooked elaborate meals. Soon we started seeing articles about a weight gain: the “Covid 10.” Then it got warmer and everyone was walking.
I’m not a baker. After college, I was briefly an assistant chef in a French restaurant; in a marriage to a great cook, I was again an assistant. Now I walk four or five miles a day. It burns poundage, but even more, it changed my metabolism. Without thinking about it, I’m almost gluten-free, lactose scarce, snack averse.
I’m finishing a book. Meals happen because life must be sustained — no cookbooks are harmed in their preparation. I sauté some shrimp or a salmon filet, steam a green vegetable, and… and then I’m stumped. Potatoes seem excessive, rice is a bore.
Problem solved. Thanks to a friend who, as my mother would say, knows how to shop, I am now a two-minute almost gourmet. Literally. A Seeds of Change rice package or an Annie Chun noodle bowl — neither takes more than two minutes in the microwave. An Annie Chung bowl is as least as good as your average Chinese takeout. The Seeds of Change rices can be served to guests.
SEEDS OF CHANGE
Seeds of Change rices are all cooked the same way. Squeeze the package to separate any clumped rice. Cut the upper corners an inch or two on the diagonal so they can vent while they cook. Microwave for two minutes. Serves two. Could it possibly be easier? [To buy 6 or 12 packages of Seeds of Change rice from Amazon, click here.]
An Amazon reviewer suggests a spoonful of yogurt or sour cream to give it a lighter flavor. Sliced sausages and steamed broccoli have their fans. Bachelors make it the base of a one-dish meal by adding bits of cooked hamburger, diced steak or chicken.
Seeds of Change has a predictably varied lineup, all organic, gluten free and GMO free:
Brown & Red Rice With Chia & Kale
Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic
Organic Red Beans & Brown Rice with Corn & Peppers
Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic
Quinoa and Brown & Red Rice With Flaxseed
Seven Whole Grains Rice
Spanish Style Rice with Quinoa, Peppers and Corn
Organic Brown Basmati Rice
Variety pack
ANNIE CHUN NOODLES
The key fact about Annie Chun noodles — there are also soups, for those who like broth — is that the noodles aren’t dry, like ramen. They’re packed fresh and moist. There are two small packs of dried spices. And there is a package with sauce. All of this comes in a plastic container you’ll use to cook it. (It can be used for food storage; sooner or later, it can be recycled.
These noodles are a hard-to-find combination: gluten-free, vegan, tasty, sensibly caloric. Note: If you are concerned about sodium, these noodles might be only an occasional treat.
Your choices:
Thai style peanut
Peanut Sesame
Spicy Garlic
Sweet Chili
Yakisoba
The first thing you do is open the dry stuff and put it in the bottom of the container. Add the noodles. (I don’t use chopsticks; when I open the package, I cut the strands into short pieces.) Add a quarter of a cup of water — not more, or you’ll be making soup. Put the cover on, but don’t seal it. Microwave for 2 minutes. Let it sit for another 30 seconds. Mix in the sauce and serve.
While the noodles are cooking, I often sauté finely chopped shrimp and green vegetables and serve them on top of the noodles. When you’re having dinner at your desk, this meal is a jolt of pleasure with any reminders of the life you had when you didn’t have to lower a mask to dine.
I used to buy single packs of Annie Chung noodles at a favorite store for $4.59. At Amazon, when you buy a six-pack, they’re $2.80. Hate Amazon all you like, but… [To buy 6 packs of Annie Chung noodles from Amazon, click here.]
And now… back to work. Or whatever.
