Recipe: Egg-Fried Rice
Here is a super simple (and vegetarian-friendly) egg-fried rice you can make in under 20 minutes. I did one up for lunch today and it turned out pretty good, so I thought I would share it.
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup basmati long-grain rice (depending on how hungry you are)
- about 4-5 portabella mushrooms, chopped
- A handful of frozen peas
- 3-4 leaves of fresh mint
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 1/2 zucchini
- A handful of fresh chives
- 1 egg (free range / organic)
- 1-1 1/2tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 lemon
- Optional: 1 spring onion
- 5-8 slices of fresh bacon (crisped obviously) would also go well
Step 1: The Rice
Take all of the rice you want to cook with, and put it into a colander - wash through with cold water. This will take the starch out of the rice (long-grain has a bunch of starch in it) so it doesn’t stick together and become a big mess.
Once that’s done, place in a pot of boiling salted water. It should take between 6-8 minutes to become soft, but test it throughout to be sure. Once it’s done, strain the cooked rice and refresh immediately under cold water.
While the rice is going, chop up your vegetables and herbs.
Step 2: Vegetables and Herbs
Get a frying pan on a medium heat (heat up for about 4 minutes or so to achieve desired heat) and put in some olive oil (1-1 1/2 table spoons). At this point, I usually like to season the pan itself with salt pepper.
Take all of your chopped herbs and veg and mix in with the sesame oil in a small bowl and then put in to the frying pan. Cook through (usually in the amount of time it will take for the frozen peas to thaw and cook) and place back in the same bowl you mixed them in prior.
Step 3: The Egg in “Egg-Fried”
Now, crack the egg in to the hot pan and start scraping - you want a good mixture of yellow / white, but generally a cooked (pretty near scrambled) egg in your pan, and then dump in the rice. Mix the egg and the rice in the pan until the rice browns and becomes slightly crispy.
You may want to add a bit of butter to give the rice some color / help the cooking process, or some olive oil for the same reason - use your best discretion.
Step 4: Bringing it Together
Once the rice starts to color, pour in your cooked herbs and veg and mix. Add in the zest of the 1/2 lemon, and also about 1/2 the juice from the same lemon - taste test to make sure it’s not too acidic. If it is, add a bit more olive oil (or sesame oil if you prefer - but be careful as it’s super strong) to balance out the flavors.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoned with fresh cracked pepper.
Once cooked, voila - a simple egg-friend rice meal.
Options
You could add in some lovely chicken, or pork sirloin, or sausages if you like to bulk up the flavor / meal size. Makes great leftovers too!
7 months ago