"Convenience, that's why" -Mom

Mamma Li turns another year older next week and to honor her, I present you her signature dish: hamburger rice. It encompasses the familiar flavor combination of soy-oyster sauce (thanks to take-out culture), but scallion and cilantro add a uniquely sharp twist offering beautifully contrasting flavor notes. It's easy to make and delicious to eat. Sure Mom concocts other dishes that are more complex, intricate, and fanciful, but to me this is her signature because it embodies both where she came from and where she is today. 

Mom grew up in a small village in southern China where believing in Santa Claus would have put you in jail. She received a college education, but there was no real future in a then-backwards society, so she made the brave decision to marry Dad after their year-long courtship because he was already living in America. He was her golden ticket. 

The beginning proved difficult, she didn't know the language, her family was an ocean away, and she was forced to work a labor intensive dead-end job. But Mom's a fighter. She took English classes, re-earned her degree in accounting, and managed to play match-maker which got one of her sisters a one-way ticket to SF. Oh and Mom also popped out two kids in the process. But because dad was working a blue-collar job she needed to continue working in order to support us.

Dad also worked un-family-friendly hours, so on top of working full-time Mom had to get us up for school, take us to ballet lessons, soccer practice, and piano classes. She kept signing us up for extracurricular activities because she wanted Sis and I to have all the opportunities that were never granted to her in Communist China.

But no matter how busy she became, dinner was always a home cooked meal, eaten together as a family. And that is where we fully embraced our Asian heritage. Typical dinners would be douchi steamed ribs, pork + pickled turnip meatloaf, braised taro and duck, pho—you get the picture.

So why didn't I label any of these as Mom's signature dish? Because Mom invented hamburger rice to fulfill the needs of convenience while remaining true to her heritage, a.k.a combining her American present with her Chinese past—forming her full identity. The idea came from her love of hamburgers, discovered upon immigrating to the U.S., but she hated bread and decided to mix it with rice instead. 

The Thanks Mom P&G commercials reminds me of all that Mom has done and sacrificed for us, how she moved to an unknown land so that her future children would have the opportunities never granted to her.

Upon graduation I received two offers: a full-time salaried position at a prestigious marketing firm or an unpaid internship at a world renowned art museum in New York City. Option One made logical sense, Option Two meant following my dreams. Despite Option One being everything Mom could ever want for me, she encouraged me to take Option Two because "I moved here so you can follow your dreams, to do whatever YOU want—it's too late for me, but you're just beginning."  So thanks Mom, this post is dedicated to you, to shine a light on all that you have done so that I could live my dream. 

Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS (FOR 2)

PREPARE

1. Mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, and garlic into ground beef.

2. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, overnight for best results.

COOK

1. Follow the directions to make rice. I use a rice cooker because what sort of Asian food blogger would I be without one? [Random side note, you can also use a rice cooker to make quinoa, couscous, and any other type of grain PERFECTLY, without having to monitor it—that was an amazing discovery.]  

2. While the rice cooks, chop up scallion and cilantro until it's nearly minced. 

3. When rice is about done (about 10 minutes with a rice cooker), break up the marinated ground beef and toss into rice. Cover for five more minutes 

4. Remove lid and toss in a splash of soy sauce, chopped scallion and cilantro, and mix well. 

EAT

Not much to it, grab a spoon and enjoy! For a well-rounded meal, serve with a side of veggies.