A couple of months ago, I saw this traditional Chinese charcoal stove by the roadside near my house. Without hesitation, I took it home as it reminds me of my grandma’s stove and it brought back warm childhood memories. 

I grew up watching my grandma cook with this stove.  When my brother and I were older she taught us how to light the charcoal stove.   Back then, we would pour a bit of kerosene on the charcoal before using a matchstick to light it.  Then we use a handheld fan made from palm leaves to fan the flames.  And I remember my brother and I would get up early on a Saturday morning to light the charcoal stove to boil a big pot of soup for lunch. 

I kept this complimentary charcoal stove in the yard together with the rest of the empty flower pots. Recently,  Sydelle asked me to cook something with this stove.  Both my daughters thought that this little stove was kind of fascinating.

Last Friday, I bought a bag of charcoal. On Saturday morning,  hubby helped to light the charcoal stove.  He’s an excellent helper when it comes to stuff like this.  It takes about 15 – 20 minutes for the stove to heat up.  Then I put in a big pot of chicken soup to boil.

After one and a half hours, the chicken soup is ready and it smells amazing.

Next, I cooked some tomato rice.  This is something quick and easy and it goes really well with the soup.

Pour some olive oil. Saute onion, garlic and bacon

Add a can of tomatoes

Stir and add some black pepper and salt

Pour in the rice[pre-cooked]

Give it a good mix.  Remove pot from stove and cover it for about 10 minutes.

Lunch is served! Loved the smoky taste!