Brian's MU Fried Rice

The "MU" stands for "Made-up." Brian is my dad.

Tonight I made his fried rice. I've only made it a couple of times before. Tonight wasn't my best effort. Last time I think was my best. While tonight was pretty good, last time I couldn't help from just gobbling it up. But tonight as I was cooking it, I had a realization. Fried rice is one of my comfort foods.

Now, if you were to ask me about my favorite foods, I would not say fried rice. Or if you were to have previously asked me about memories from my childhood, I don't think fried rice would have been on the list. However, tonight as I was stir-frying and trying to get the color and the look of my rice just right, I realized how many memories I have of Dad's fried rice. I can remember trying to sneak a little bit of crumbled bacon from where it was draining on a paper-towel-covered plate next to the stove. I remember sitting at the table as Dad walked around it dishing up heaping piles of the hot rice directly from the pan. I remember cranking out extra pepper from our wooden pepper grinder. And I can remember being disappointed when there wasn't enough rice for seconds. I know I had to develop a taste for the fresh bean sprouts, and that there was probably a time when I picked through my plate and ate all my bacon first.

I also credit fried rice for my misguided thinking that rice was a difficult food to cook. You see, when you make fried rice, you have to start with cold rice. That requires cooking it ahead of time and then giving it time to cool. So, when I received phone calls from my dad at work saying, "Tell mom to cook some rice and I'll make fried rice tonight," I assumed rice was complicated--or at least took a long time to cook. When I got married, I had never cooked rice. I quickly learned that it wasn't so tough and it's become a staple at our dinner table.

The real key to the authentic flavor--at least of the MU version--is the dark sesame oil used for frying. I don't think I had quite enough of it tonight, but the last time I made it the flavors were all perfect and I was transported back in time to my parents' dinner table. Damon probably thought I was crazy. I just kept going on and on about how it was so good and reminded me of being a kid and was just like my dad had made and oh, oh, oh--all this between mouthfuls.

So, here's to childhood memories that are brought to the fore through the marvelous senses of taste (and smell). And, here's to my dad and his many MU recipes.