Cool Plates features dishes from across the country to help inspire chefs' creativity.
In honor of the Chinese New Year, which is Jan. 23 this year, here is a simple Chinese dish with dramatic eye and ear appeal.
Chef Jonathan Chi dries cooked rice, either by spreading it out and letting it sit at room temperature, or by toasting it in the oven.
He makes a soup of broth, bamboo shoots, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms and shrimp. He quickly deep-fries the cooked rice so it puffs up.
The hot deep-fried rice is then added to the soup tableside to create the sound effect, Chi said.
“And because the rice is crispy, it adds texture, too,” he said.
A bowl costs $3.50.
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