Mix-and-Match Fried Rice
Make a super-quick dinner with your favorite ingredients!
RYAN DAUSCH
From left to right: Sausage and Pepper Fried Rice, Hawaiian Fried Rice with Shrimp, Veggie Lover's Fried Rice
1. Pick Your Rice
Start with 3 cups cold cooked long-grain white or brown rice. (Or cook 1 1/2 cups rice as the label directs, using 1/4 cup less water than recommended and no butter or oil; spread out on a baking sheet and let cool.)
2. Prep Your Proteins
Prepare 1 cup total of the following ingredients (choose up to 2; do not precook).
- Bacon, roughly chopped
- Canadian bacon or ham, diced
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Cured chorizo or Chinese sausage, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Deli-sliced pastrami, cut into 1/2-inch strips
- Firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Ground beef or pork
- Pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- Shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
- Rotisserie chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
3. Choose Your Mix-Ins
Prepare 1 cup total of the following ingredients (choose up to 3).
- Baby bok choy, chopped
- Kale, spinach or watercress, chopped
- Bell pepper, chopped
- Broccoli or cauliflower, chopped
- Pineapple, chopped
- Mushrooms, sliced
- Red onion, chopped
- Snow peas, thinly sliced
- Carrots, shredded
- Green beans, chopped
4. Make the Fried Rice
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 beaten egg, swirl the pan to coat and cook until half set, about 10 seconds. Remove to a plate.
Add your proteins to the skillet, season with salt and stir-fry until golden brown and almost cooked through. Remove to a bowl.
Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon more vegetable oil to the skillet, then stir in your mix-ins. Season with salt and add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, fish sauce or Asian chili sauce and 1 teaspoon grated ginger or garlic. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 minutes.
Add the cooked rice, spreading it out; heat through, about 3 minutes. Return the egg and proteins to the pan, stirring to break up the egg. Divide among bowls.
5. Finish the Dish
Top the fried rice with up to 2 of the following.
- Chopped cashews or peanuts
- Chili oil
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime juice
- Sliced scallions
- Toasted sesame oil
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