Classic Fried Rice

 

Another fried rice recipe!

Source:  https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/fried-rice/

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups (463 g) day old white rice
• ▢4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, divided
• ▢4 large eggs
• ▢1 medium onion, diced
• ▢1 cup (165 g) frozen corn, thawed
• ▢1 cup (140 g) frozen peas and carrots mix, thawed
• ▢½ cup (118 ml) low sodium soy sauce
• ▢Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Reheat your leftover rice in the microwave for 2 minutes to warm it through so it's easy to break up in the wok. Set aside.
• In a wok, melt 1 tablespoon of butter then cook your eggs (break them apart like scrambled eggs). Remove the scrambled eggs from wok and set aside in a bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the wok then add onion, corn, and peas and carrot mix. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the warmed rice and break it up with your spatula, as needed. Keep folding the rice in with the veggies until well-combined.
• Pour the soy sauce over the rice. You might want to do this slowly in case it gets too salty for you and you can reduce the amount you use. I'd pour it in 1 circle around the skillet at a time and then mix it altogether and taste. Use more or less soy sauce as desired.

• Turn off the heat then add the eggs back in and add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the rice mixture. Stir until it has melted and incorporated into the rice.

Pork Fried Rice

 

Fried  rice is one of my favorite meals.  I have many variations on my blog, click on the label "fried rice" to get to all of them.

As for this recipe, I would substitute white rice since I don't care for brown rice.  Also, I would use pork chunks.  I love the idea of cashews!  I typically use bean sprouts or water chestnuts.

Fried rice is one of those recipes you can adapt to your preferences or what is available in your refrigerator.

Source:  https://www.amyscookingadventures.com/2013/04/pork-fried-rice.html

¼ lb Chinese Spiced Sausage, or leftover wonton filling

2 tbsp sesame or canola oil

3 cup cold, leftover brown rice (see note)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

2 carrots, grated

½ cup peas

½ cup cashews

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

Cook the sausage over medium heat until cooked through completely, set aside.

In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the rice and lightly fry, 5-7 minutes. 

Create a well in the center of the rice.  Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the beaten eggs.  Cook the eggs, gradually stirring them into the rice.

Add the carrots, peas, and cashews.  Cook for an additional 3-5.  Stir in the green onions and serve.

Serves 6-8 side dish portions

Bacon, Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice

Anything that contains rice catches my attention, although I must admit I have never tried jasmine rice.

Shrimp Fried Rice is my favorite, and the addition of bacon sounds delicious.

The price of sesame oil has kept us from trying out a fried rice dish cooked with it and I wonder . . . does it really make that much of a difference?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 4 ounces bay shrimp

• 4 ounces fresh or frozen peas (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (preferably day old)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat a wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Add the eggs, reduce the heat a bit and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes to scramble. Remove and set aside. 

Reheat the wok and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta, garlic and ginger, then stir quickly. Once the pancetta begins to turn brown, 1 to 2 minutes, add in the shrimp and peas and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more. 

Add the cooked rice and stir well to break it up in the wok. Add the scrambled eggs back in, season with the light soy and toss to coat the rice. Add in the toasted sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately garnished with chopped scallions.

Source

Gina's Cuban Style Fried Rice

Although I shared many of my recipes when I first started this blog, I don't do it often enough.  One of the reasons is my method of cooking is difficult to explain for someone else to duplicate.  Best way I can describe it . . . I just throw stuff together and don't measure anything.  

Then there is the problem of taking good photos of the process!  Truth is . . . it is not a pretty process when either The Captain or I cook, although it is a much neater process when we work together, as we often do.  With that said . . . I'm going to make an effort to start taking photos when we cook and share more of our own recipes or variations of recipes that I post.

Anyway . . . here is how I make what I call Cuban Fried Rice.

It is rarely the same every time since it depends on what I have in the fridge, so use my method as a starting point and use what you like or have in the fridge.

Almost everything in this meal were leftovers.  We had a thick cut pork chop and some of a wild rice mix left over from the night before.  

I hate throwing food away and try to use it for another meal.

Saute two diced onions and minced garlic with a little olive oil . . . seasoned with cumin and cayenne pepper.  (If I have them on hand, I always add whatever type of peppers I have.  I use one or two depending on what I have.)

I didn't have quite enough meat from the left over pork chop, so I put in a frozen chicken breast in with the onion and garlic in the pan.  

When the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the onions caramelized, cut into bite sized pieces and add the pork chop cut into thin strips. Let them cook a bit (15-20 minutes) so the flavors blend.

Add the rice and a can of peas to the pan and stir well to blend all the ingredients together.  Turn the heat down to low, put a lid on the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

I'm not in a hurry when I cook.  Each step blends the flavors together . . . taste as you go along!  The first step, caramelizing the onions and garlic with the seasonings, is the most important step since it is the flavor base of your meal.  Latinos call this a "sofrito."  

Usually I will turn the heat down and walk away from it between adding ingredients.  An important point to mention is that I strictly use stainless steel cookware which holds the heat well and will not burn your food if you don't cook on really high heat.  Sometimes I even turn the burner off for the last step as long as I keep the lid on the pan.  

I bought my set of cookware back when I was in high school!  A good set of cookware is an awesome investment since they will last forever. 

This is the style of cooking I learned from my Nana and it really does make cooking a meal a joyous thing . . . or maybe I was just a born foodie and naturally enjoy it!

I have so many variations for my "fried rice" . . . it is awesome with shrimp or fish too.  The vegetable and rice variations are endless!  It is fun to experiment with cooking :)

Hope my instructions made sense!  Feel free to ask questions through comments.

Shrimp Fried Rice

The few secrets for good fried rice are to use high heat, minimal oil, and add the rice little by little so that the pan's temperature stays hot. Using leftover rice is best—the dryness facilitates frying—but if you need to cook the rice first, dinner can still be on the table in minutes. Feel free to swap the shrimp with other proteins such as chicken or tofu.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.

Shrimp Fried Rice

- serves 2 -

Ingredients

1 egg
2 cups cooked rice
4 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated
10-12 cooked (or uncooked) shrimp, deveined and chopped
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice from half a lime

Procedure

1. If cooking rice, do so first, then rinse well to cool.
2. In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until just before it's about to smoke, then add the ginger, carrot, garlic, and three of the scallions. Stir constantly until just fragrant, only about 15-30 seconds at most.
3. Add the shrimp. If raw, stir until cooked through; if pre-cooked, move on to the next step immediately.
4. Add the rice, handful by handful, stirring constantly to fry.
5. Make a hole in the middle of the rice and crack the egg into it. Stir quickly but gently, incorporating more and more rice until the egg is well-distributed.
6. Add the soy sauce and lime juice, then season with salt and pepper (or more soy sauce). Top with the last scallion.