'Casserole' Cooked on Top of a Stove
CALLING a dish a casserole suggests that it is baked in the oven, but for meals that must be ready in 20 to 30 minutes, oven baking is not an option.
Today's sweet and hot rice "casserole" with chicken is done on top of the stove. The rice is cooked in one pot and then mixed with the ingredients and cooked for a couple of minutes to meld the tastes.
The amount of hot chili paste you use in this recipe should be determined by just how spicy you like your food.  Spicy Ginger Chicken and Rice Casserole  1 cup long grain rice  8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast  1 teaspoon canola oil  2 large cloves garlic  8 ounces whole red pepper or 7 ounces ready-cut julienned red pepper (1 1/2 cups)  3 stalks bok choy  2 tablespoons fresh or frozen ginger  2 to 3 teaspoons hot chili paste (with or without garlic)  2 tablespoons rice vinegar  2 tablespoons sweet sake or dry sherry  3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice  2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce  1/8 teaspoon salt  2 tablespoons scallions.
1. Combine rice with 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 17 minutes total.
2. While the rice is cooking, wash, dry and cut chicken into narrow strips; heat nonstick pan large enough to hold all the ingredients over high heat.
3. Add oil to pan. Reduce heat to medium, and add chicken; brown on both sides.
4. Mince garlic; wash, trim and seed whole red pepper, and cut into julienned strips. Add garlic and pepper to chicken, and continue cooking.
5. Wash, trim and cut bok choy crosswise into narrow strips, and cut in half; add to pan, and cover. Cook over low heat.
6.  Grate ginger coarsely, and add to pan with chili paste, vinegar, sake or sherry, pineapple juice and soy sauce. Continue cooking until vegetables are crisp but tender.
7. Wash, trim and slice scallions.
8. When rice is cooked, stir it into the chicken and vegetables, and mix well. Season with salt, and cook a minute or two. Serve sprinkled with scallions.
Yield: 2 servings.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 610 calories, 5 grams fat, 65 milligrams cholesterol, 445 milligrams sodium, 35 grams protein, 100 grams carbohydrate.  PLAIN AND SIMPLE