Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Fried Rice


I love to make fried rice with leftovers. In fact, it pretty much has to be made with leftovers, because you need to start with cold rice. If you use hot, fresh rice, the oil won't coat each individual grain - big clumps of it will soak it up and you'll have to use a lot more.
I like fried rice with brown or white rice, but in this case we had white leftover. We also had extra chicken from roast chicken and about 3-4 oz. of leftover steak. I used edamame and carrots for vegetables, but I like broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, and peas as well. This recipe is adapted from Recipezaar.
Fried Rice
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
1-2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 drops of soy sauce
3 drops of sesame oil (optional)
1 T. chopped fresh ginger or 1 t. dried ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ounces cooked chicken, beef, or pork, chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated (preferably medium grain)
4 green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons light soy sauce (add more if you like)
1 t. sesame oil (optional)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice brown color, about 8-10 minutes; remove from wok.

Allow wok to cool slightly.

Mix egg with 3 drops of soy and 3 drops of sesame oil; set aside.
Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture and stir-fry until dry. Remove egg from wok and chop into small pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add ginger and garlic to work; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add selected meat to wok, along with carrots, edamame, and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add rice and green onions, tossing to mix well; stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Add 4 tbsp of light soy sauce and chopped egg to rice mixture and fold in; stir-fry for 1 minute more; serve.

Servings: 4
Calories: 498

1 comment:

Alison... said...

I didn't realize that this dish comes out better when you use the cold rice but it makes sense... looks so good!