Fried Rice
Growing up my dad made a dish he called “Rice Junk”. He would clean out the fridge and use with anything from orange segments to hot dogs, onions, celery, carrots and just about anything he could find. To this day, my family still calls it Rice Junk and actually plan to make it. Whenever I make rice, I make sure to add a few extra cups so we’ll have plenty of leftover to make rice junk. It’s a great way to get creative in the kitchen and each time you make it, it’s always different. Here is a standard way that I begin with some classic Asian ingredients. Please note that the sauces are all based on taste. I don’t give measurements because you never know how much rice you will have leftover. Use as much or as little as you like, there is no wrong ingredient. Use what you like!
Ingredients
Leftover Cold Cooked Rice
cooking oil, such as peanut, olive or avocado
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots, slightly thawed by rinsing
1 small onion, chopped
Leftover protein of your choice, here I had leftover steak
Garlic, minced
Ginger, grated
Soy Sauce, to taste
Hoisin Sauce, to taste
Sambal Oele chili paste, or Sriracha, optional, to taste
Fresh crushed black pepper
Scrambled eggs, optional
3-4 Green onions, sliced
Method
In a large saute pan, swirl the oil into the pan over medium high heat. Add in the chopped onions and saute until they start to soften, add in the garlic and ginger and stir until you can start to smell the garlic. Add in the cold rice and break it apart with a wooden spatula. Stir until the rice starts to brown slightly. Add in the soy sauce, enough to where the rice starts to look brown. Add in a few squirts of hoisin and about a tablespoon of the Sambal or Sriracha if using. Continue to stir until all are combined. Add in the peas and carrots and continue to stir. Add in the protein. Combine well and check for seasoning. Add black pepper to taste. At this time you can add in some pre-scrambled eggs, stir to combine and then top with sliced green onions. You can also add in some cilantro. Enjoy!
This is a recipe where you can get creative, nothing is forbidden. Here are some ideas on what you can use:
Ham
Chicken
Pork
Sausages
Tofu
Corn
Peppers
Celery
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Anything goes!
