Monday, April 20, 2009

Food Shot of the.......Year?

A friend of mine that blogs has his Food Shots of the Week where he posts his weekend creations. He mentioned that I needed more Food Shots. I did one last year and this will probably be the only one I will do this year. So, Dave C., this one is for you!
This is fried rice made from brown basmati rice, eggs, stir fry veggies and diced chicken. I picked up this recipe while I was working in Guam a few years ago. The restaurant next to our hotel was named Shirleys. She had several restaurants around the island. Unusual dishes were offered for breakfast and I found that fried rice really stuck with me through the day when I was working on the ship. Fried rice at Shirleys could contain shrimp, chicken or SPAM. Yes Spam! And not just any SPAM, but Hot and Spicy SPAM!

SPAM was a treat in the Pacific Islands after it was introduced during World War II. It lasted well without refrigeration. Shirley mixed Tabasco sauce with SPAM and used it in her restaurant for rice and other dishes. The Hormel company heard about this and actually packaged Hot and Spicy Spam, mainly for sale in Guam and other islands. They also test marketed it in some southern states. I think it is available in the Comissary at Bangor for those that can buy there. I have some stockpiled and occaisanally I make the rice with it. You do need to like hot food to enjoy it! The recipe for the rice was on the can.

And don't tell me that I need some sauce to put on this rice dish. I like it naked, the rice that is, without anything on it! And it really hits the spot after a long day of activity like riding the bicycle.

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