Turkey coleslaw wraps, Spanish rice

Rachel and I used to eat turkey coleslaw wraps a lot when we were dating. In case the name isn't obvious enough, you take a large tortilla, add sliced turkey, add coleslaw, and you wrap it.

On Monday night, we changed it up a little bit by cooking the coleslaw. First I finely julienne'd a small onion, and sauteed it up in oil with salt. I then added the slaw, which came in a bag. It was just cabbage and carrot I believe, but the cabbage was shredded super thin, which was nice. I sauteed that for a bit; I think I added some vinegar and pepper but I'm not really sure. Won't make a huge difference either way. Then I added a dressing of mayo and dijon, stir it in, let cook for about 30 seconds, and took off the heat. Then we assembled the wraps as usual.

To make the Spanish rice, I sauteed chopped onion in olive oil and salt, then added pepper, paprika, chili powder, turmeric, garlic, and cumin. Then I added 1 chopped tomato. I put in the rice, cooked in the oil and onions for a few minutes, then poured in some water (follow your rice's directions for amounts). When it boiled, I slapped on a cover and reduced the heat. I had to add in a bit more water at the end but after the second time around, it was done.

This is maybe the second time I've made Spanish rice from scratch (i.e. not using the Near East mix). Both times, it looks great but lacks in flavor. It probably needs more salt than anything else - although it was good that Monday's rice wasn't too salty, since the next day was a fast day. Other than salt, I don't know what gives the Near East mixes more flavor. Possibly MSG, but also it probably has some dried powdered tomato product. You'd think I'd have more tomato flavor, having used a real tomato, but I'm guessing I actually had less tomato flavor. How?

Well, here's the way I see it. Powders are concentrated flavors, and therefore can out-flavor the real thing. For instance, compare fresh garlic with powdered garlic (I'm talking about the strong stuff, the talc powder stuff). The powder is not better than fresh garlic - the latter is sweet, and rich, and acidic and flavorful. But the powder packs an unbelievable garlicky punch, because it is pure garlic taste. In terms of taste per mg (unless this unit already exists, I hereby name it the Flyshack: 1 Flyshack = 1 taste/mg), garlic powder is slightly stronger than raw, crushed garlic and certainly stronger than cooked garlic.

So I'm still looking for ingredients to put some more flavor into my Spanish rice. But it's still pretty good.