Can I just say fried rice is more of a mood than a food for me? When cooking is the last thing on my mind and I still need to feed my brood, I resort to quick cooking meals like fried rice. It is fast, easy and you can choose to add on whatever you want or feel like eating, be it meat, eggs, or vegetables. It has come to my rescue many times when I am in need of sort of an instant meal. They are the original one pot meal or shall I say one wok meal. They can be a meal in itself or serve as an accompaniment to any meat dishes. There is something satisfying in a bowl of fried rice with all your favorite add-ons .
I grew up in that part of the world where rice is a staple. So I always have leftover cooked rice hanging on in the refrigerator. Day old refrigerated rice makes the best fried rice and that is the only tip for a perfect nutty and delicious fried rice. Freshly cooked or warm rice does not fry well when it hits the wok or pan, it becomes soggy and clumpy. If you don’t have any leftover rice, don’t worry, you can still make some fried rice. Just cook the rice, spread it out on a plate or baking pan and pop it in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
Talking about favorite add-ons, eggs, tomatoes and spinach are my all time favorite foods. I can eat them anyday, everyday and still not get tired of them. But of course you can add your own favorite vegetables. When it comes to fried rice, my go to rice is Jasmine. I like the fragrance of jasmine rice and combined with the soy sauce and butter, they taste delicious. Another favorite is brown Basmati rice. The nuttiness of brown rice is perfect when fried and of course brown rice is the healthier option between the two.
You can keep this dish vegan by omitting the eggs and oyster sauce. Instead of eggs add tofu and sprinkle some sesame oil at the very end. There you go, grab the following ingredients and start making this fried rice. And find out for yourself how delicious a simple bowl of fried rice can be!
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 4 cups day old cooked jasmine rice (scroll down below to see how I cook my Jasmine rice in an Instant Pot) |
| 2 tablespoon soy sauce |
| 1 tablespoon oyster sauce |
| ½ cup chopped onion |
| ½ teaspoon grated garlic |
| ½ teaspoon grated ginger |
| 3 eggs |
| 2 cups baby spinach |
| 2 Roma tomatoes sliced lengthwise, not chopped |
| ½ teaspoon salt |
| ½ cup chopped green onions |
| 3 tablespoon peanut oil |
| 2 tablespoon butter |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Whisk eggs, heat about 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a wok or pan and scramble the eggs. Set them aside |
| Heat the remaining peanut oil |
| On high heat add the chopped onions and cook them until translucent |
| Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute |
| Add the sliced tomatoes and eggs |
| Add the chilled rice and salt |
| Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce |
| Keep on stirring and frying the rice until everything is mixed through |
| Add the butter and mix everything together |
| Remove the wok or pan from heat and add the chopped green onions |
Serve hot as an entree or as an accompaniment to these Asian Style Chicken Wings or Sake Soy Mirin Salmon.
| Cooking Jasmine rice in an Instant Pot | |
|---|---|
| Wash and rinse 2 cups of rice until the water runs clear and you no longer see starchy water, at least 3 or 4 times |
| Add the rice and 2 cups water to the insert of the Instant Pot |
| Secure cover, turn valve to seal, and set Instant Pot on the manual setting for 3 minutes on high pressure. |
| When the timer goes off, unplug power cord and let the pressure naturally release. Once all the pressure is released naturally, take out the rice and fluff it with a fork |
Inspiration: Lazy days and easy meals