Sounds like something you'd find in the pasture or something you might like to

smoke doesn't it? Well, if you were in Northern Thailand, or anywhere in

Thailand, you could walk into a restaurant, sit down and shout those two words,

with a big emphasis on the vowels and you'd get a lovely meal, the Thai version

of 'dinner in a dish'. Cow Pot is a fried rice. It was one of the few dishes

that my former wife always enjoyed when I cooked it up. There are many

variations so, if you don't mind, I'll just wander through a preparation and you

may add or subtract to meet your preference and supply stash.

A rice cooker is nice. Otherwise, make blue rose (short grain) one cup of rice

to one cup of water... that's the same proportion and type you use for sushi

rice (for sushi rice add white vinegar and sugar). Long grain white rice takes a

little more water and brown rice is one cup of rice and two cups of water. You

don't want the rice mushy but you do want it fully cooked and tender. Add salt

and MSG if you like. I usually add the MSG and haven't noticed any negative

eff-eff-effects. Hey, they use it all the time in asia. You might experiment

with the amount. A nice rhythm in your temples gives an added dimension to the

meal.

While the rice is cooking you can get together bowls of these other ingredients.

The characteristic ones are: chopped green onions, sliced cucumber, some meat,

(remember that 'di', and 'di' sound the same in the local language but for a

subtle pitch difference. One means water and the other dog. Be careful when

ordering) juice of lemon or lime and soy sauce.

Now, there are tons of other things to add if you like. I scramble an egg or two

in sesame oil to be chopped before mixing in. Shrimps, vegetables like carrots,

peas, mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, (easy on the tomatoes and watery

veggies as the can turn the whole thing into mush and you don't want that)

cilantro... check your fridge... most veggies add to the overall complexity of

flavors, and a variety of colors indicates you are on the right track. Nuts:

peanuts are great as are cashews and almonds. It's good to cook up some of the

veggies in peanut oil (Correct pronunciation is 'penis oil' if the cook is

chinese. This could explain something about the dishes popularity but I'm not

sure what. Please let me know your theories.) so that when you finish the rice,

everything may be mixed up and served almost immediately. Peanut oil adds a nice

flavor. Pork, beef, chicken, most any meat goes well. A little chili oil is a

nice for cooking with too.

So your rice is done and you have lots of bowls of things ready to be mixed in.

If you use a wok or big frying pan, pour a little vegetable oil in and get it

hot. Dump in the rice and add soy sauce to give it a richer color, not too

much... more soy may be added to individual servings to taste. Soy sauce is what

you use to add salt. Stir it for a bit, till you get some crackle action

happening. Then add your cornucopia of treats. A little white sugar is good too.

You want to have some brown bits in there. Last you add the cucumber and green

onion and hold it until they are at least warm. Squirt on the juice of the lime

or lemon, mix and serve it up immediately. Mmmm. I recommend making a big batch

and having leftovers for a few days. Makes a good burrito filling. You will

learn about proportions each time you cook. It's hard to go wrong with good rice

and good ingredients. Dog is considered a politically incorrect ingredient for

american guests... trust me.