Dine-out favorite is a sizzling success at home

I'm obsessed with sizzling rice soup.

You know, the kind they serve at Chinese restaurants?

The waiter slides deep-fried cakes of rice into bowls of hotter-than-hot soup. The rice really does sizzle. Your tablemates ooh and ahh.

People at other tables turn to look. It's like ordering fajitas at Chevy's.

There was a time — BK (before kids) — when I would run right out to a restaurant if I was craving something, like sizzling rice soup. Now, nights out are few and far between and usually involve menus you can color with crayons. So, when I have a spare second, I try to make some of my favorites at home.

Usually, this is pretty easy. Recipes for things like scampi and fettucine Alfredo abound on the Web. Not so for sizzling rice soup.

When I finally found some recipes, I was surprised how different — and difficult — they were. Some used chicken, some used shrimp; some called for pre-made rice cakes, others directed home cooks to make their own.

The recipe I picked, from chow.com, called for both chicken and shrimp, as well as deep-fried rice made at home. I figured this was OK; I didn't want to trek to another grocery store to find the rice thingies.

Boy, was that a mistake. Cooking the rice, then baking and frying it as directed, took more than an hour. Plus, I had to cook the chicken and thaw the shrimp. And that was before I made the soup. Whew.

The soup, it turned out, was a breeze. I used canned chicken stock and pre-chopped mushrooms. The only thing I had to chop were the green onions.

When I finally had all the elements prepared, it was time to combine them. Adding the chicken/shrimp/cornstarch mixture muddied the otherwise clear broth but added a depth of flavor. You could really taste the shrimp.

Then it was time for the rice. Spooning it into the bowls was every bit as spectacular as it is in a restaurant.

I think the end result was better, too. The broth was light but flavorful. The veggies stayed crisp. The rice sizzled.

And I didn't even have to leave home.

Bee staff writer Kerry McCray can be reached at 578-2358 or at kmccray@modbee.com.

The sizzle in my soup was short-lived; I may have left the rice on the paper towel too long. I really like the idea of this soup, but the end result left something to be desired. It was bland, despite the long list of ingredients, and we were quickly reaching for the soy sauce and/or salt shaker. Due to the trouble it took to gather all of the ingredients, chop them and to prepare the rice, I probably won't be making another attempt with this recipe.

It worked! When I sprinkled the rice in, the soup sizzled. It is fun to have the sizzle, but I think the soup flavor is just OK. It needs quite a bit more zip. Just before serving, I added more soy sauce and salt, but it still seemed bland. I followed the recipe except for the shrimp, because I didn't have any. The rice directions are time-consuming but simple, and the one hour at 300 degrees is just right. You need all the ingredients prepared ahead because the soup cooks quickly, and if the vegetables are overcooked, I think it would be quite mushy. I used the water chestnuts (a must for crunchiness), Napa cabbage sliced and some thinly sliced carrots. The carrots add a little bit of color, which makes for a nice presentation. These amounts made three meal-size servings along with a salad. Before I make this soup again, I'm going to compare the ingredients to some other Asian soup recipes and try to get more flavor.