A Sort of Fusion

I have been away far too long again, and it took the right meal to make me sit down and write again. Last night's dinner was that meal. A month or two ago, I experimented with using egg roll wrappers with something of a Tex-Mex filling, and last night, I think I hit it spot on. While the prep and cook time for this was longer than the usual half hour I try to allow, it wasn't by much, surprisingly. I started with ground beef and black beans sauteed with a couple of different chili powders, some garlic salt, pepper, ground cumin, and coriander. I rolled these into the wrappers with a bit of shredded sharp cheddar, and browned them in peanut oil. Simple, crispy, and again, surprisingly quick. A bit of rice in the cooker, and that was it. 

The Verdict

When three of the four in our family go back for seconds, it is a good sign. The crispy, flaky egg roll wrappers are a great substitute for the more traditional corn platform I associate with this kind of protein concoction. With a dollop of sour cream and salsa on the side for dipping, the result was unquestionably successful. I also think I have finally beaten my aging and well-used rice cooker into submission, as it has been plaguing me with poorly-cooked rice of late. Last night, it was almost perfectly cooked. I chose jasmine rice, and it had just the right texture to complement the main course.

The idea of fusing cuisines is really a balancing act. It is a matter of picking ideas that work well together, and not just cobbling together random ingredients, hoping something will click. It's not unlike what I've been feeling about parenting these past few busy months. Taking a step back and seeking balance goes a long way toward preserving the sense of self that parents still desperately cling to, while happily sinking deeper and deeper into their other identity of mom or dad. I don't know any two parents who were raised identically, and as such, we all bring different experiences and ideas about how to guide our children to our parenting experience. Really, parenting is a kind of fusion as well, when there are two folks doing the job. And when we are lucky, or thoughtful, or careful, or all of these things, going back for seconds can be really satisfying.