Fried Rice

I like fried rice, both the kind got at a Chinese Take-Out place, and the homemade variety.  I made up some fried rice last night and it was delightful.  Really this food just has a good mix of ingredients and flavors and is more than enough of a meal in and of itself.

The wonder of homemade fried rice is that it is exceptionally easy, especially if you already have some leftover rice lying around (which I had last night). To make good fried rice you need pre-cooked (and usually cooled) rice.  Beyond that, the ingrdiant list can be incredibly variable depending on your preference or desire.  If you are looking to make it kind of like the Chinese Take-Out styel then you art definitely going to want some soy sauce, garlic, a bit of red pepper flecks, maybe some chopped onion and carrot, and possibly a meat (like pork, chicken, or shrimp — also good way to use leftovers). 

What I usally do is get some oil going in a pan on high heat.  Once it is hot I throw in the chopped onion and let it carmalize real well.  I de-glaze the pan with some soy sauce and a little bit of water, turn the heat down and add any other veggies I’ve got (and the garlic).  Last night my veggie list beyond onions was simple carrots, celery, frozen peas and corn, and two serrano  peppers (which made my fried rice really spicy).  Stir fry the veggies for a little while, adding a few splashes of soy sauce or water here or there to keep stuff from getting too dry. Throw in the rice and stir it all together and let cook a little while longer. 

You can season thefried rice with all sorts of things depending on your prefence.  A bit of cumin and cardamon is always good, and ginger powder doesn’t hurt.  Last night I used some fresh chopped basil, a bit of sage, horseradish mustard, and a little hoisin sauce (personally I find hoisin sauce to be an ideal ingredient for all sorts of asian style stir fried foods.  it is a wonderful mix of sweet and spice and only a little is needed to add some strong flavor to a full meal).

So yeah, if you are looking for a relatively easy meal to make and have some leftover rice, I’d strongly recommend trying your hand at fried rice.  I think it is relativel hard to fuck up (though I’d hate to see what fucked up fried rice was like).

It is good tasty food!

~ by Nathaniel on October 7, 2009.