Good evening, my lovelies. Remember when I said that I would spice this blog up by having themes and challenges? Well, here's theme number one. Every two weeks, I will post a recipe remaking leftovers. I constantly have leftovers, and sometimes it is fun to change it into something else. It's like I'm tricking myself into eating something new. Yes, I am like a child and I need to trick myself into eating food.
I didn't make this recipe today, I actually cooked it a few days before I moved. Hence the pictures of the food on boxes. Aren't you proud of me for actually cooking during the moving process? You guys know how stressful moving is for me. Yay me. Unfortunately, I was not so motivated today and I didn't cook. And I don't think I want to tell you guys what I ate. Ok, fine. I had a Lunchable. A pizza Lunchable. I am a child.
Moving on..
Fried rice is one of my favorites. As a Vietnamese girl, I grew up eating rice, so any dish with rice is a winner in my book. What I love so much about fried rice is that you can put whatever you want in there. Every time I make fried rice, it is a little different, but always delicious. I have a basic recipe that I use to flavor the rice, but you can throw almost any meat or vegetables (or even some fruits!) in and have a great side dish or even a complete meal.
I had some grilled teriyaki chicken with steamed vegetables from Tai's Asian Bistro. It was pretty good, but it came in a huge portion, so I had over half of it leftover the next day. I just cut the leftover chicken and veggies (broccoli, carrots, squash) into bite-sized pieces, reheated them in a little bit of oil, and added them to my basic fried rice recipe.
If you don't have any leftovers to use, you can just make the basic egg fried rice, which is great, or just use frozen veggies and whatever protein you have on hand. You can use chicken, beef, shrimp, ham, bacon.. you get the idea. Just make sure you cook it or heat it up in a bit of oil before you add it to the rice.
Finally, it is important to use cold, leftover rice for this recipe, because if you use fresh rice, the dish will become kind of soggy.
Basic Fried Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 cups cold cooked rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (can be found at Asian markets)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons canola oil
Directions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions, if desired, and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
2. Add the rice. Make sure that you try to break up the rice before you add it to the pan. Otherwise, you will have a large block of rice that may burn while you try to break it up in the pan.
3. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Stir fry for an additional 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. The soy sauce makes the rice saltier, and the oyster sauce makes it sweeter. Below is the brand of oyster sauce that I like to use.
4. Season the eggs with a touch of salt and pepper. If your pan is large enough, make a well in the rice about 6 inches in diameter. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the well and heat for a minute. Add the eggs to the well and scramble. When eggs are just beginning to set, stir into rice.
*If your pan is not large enough, then cook the eggs first and set aside. Then cook the rice as directed and just add the cooked eggs after step 3.
**If you are using meat and veggies, cook them with the garlic and onions, then continue with the recipe as directed.
And that's that! This recipe is a piece of cake. Enjoy remaking your leftovers!
Now I'm going to go cuddle with Louers and study for my anesthesia test!
xoxo <3
Nhu-Y
P.S. Mikey is coming home from Chicago on Friday so I have an extra special meal planned! Stay tuned.
