Fried rice is a creative way to refresh leftovers into delicious new meals and break up the monotony of eating the same food two or three days in a row. It’s simple and quick — about 20 minutes start to finish — and is cooked in a single pot, minimizing cleanup!
The dish works best with refrigerated rice and leftover chicken breast or pork tenderloin. Combine with a few eggs and a mixture of frozen and fresh vegetables and you’re set! Consider tossing in shrimp for extra protein and garnish with lime and coriander to serve. Fried rice is not an exact science so feel free to tailor the level of oil, protein (tofu works well), soy sauce, and veggies to cater to your own dietary preferences and needs.
Ingredients
1 small onion
2 to 4 eggs
2 to 4 cups of leftover meat, cooked shrimp, or tofu
2 fresh carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper (substitute with jalapeño?)
2 to 4 cups cooked rice, refrigerated overnight
1 to 4 tablespoons canola oil, depending on how dry you like the rice
2 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
1 lime to garnish
Cilantro to garnish
Special Equipment
If you don’t already have one, invest in a good wok. Woks have deep sloping sides and a small area at the bottom. The deep walls help to trap heat inside, which enables food to cook much quicker than in a traditional frying pan. The smaller bottom surface area also enables you to cook with less oil.
Steps
Step 1
Assemble your ingredients. Remove leftovers from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow them to reach room temperature.
Dice the onion and chop the meat into ~1 inch cubes.
Step 2
Heat up a wok on medium temperature.
Gently scramble eggs in the wok until cooked then remove and set aside in a bowl.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the wok and allow it to heat up, about 1 minute.
Add the onion, peas, carrots, and salt; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the rice, already-cooked meat, and soy sauce and cook 5 to 7 minutes, tossing regularly. Break up clumps of rice with tongs.
Step 3
Return the eggs and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Add more soy sauce to taste (optional).
Enjoy!
Serve in bowls topped with fresh-squeezed lime juice and cilantro.
Substitutions
Feel free to adjust the amount and type of protein (tofu works well), soy sauce, and veggies.
Feel free to comment, I would love to hear from you