Loaded Fried Rice

This is one of those recipes I have wanted to post for a long time but have hesitated because I don't really measure anything when I cook it. Well, I made it again tonight and tried to pay better attention to what I was doing... delicious! I like to put a lot of "stuff" into fried rice so that's why I'm calling it "loaded."

Ingredients:

3 carrots, sliced
4 eggs
1 large chicken breast, cut in small thin slices
2-3 stalks green onions, sliced
1 T sesame seeds
1/2 c frozen peas
sesame oil*
vegetable oil
soy sauce
salt & pepper
Asian seasoning (I have Emeril's Asian Essence)
2-3 c cooked white rice: Leftover rice is great; or just cook your rice ahead of time (a day or several hours ahead), allow to cool a little and put in the fridge. You want it to be cold/cool before you start on this.

*I like a combination of sesame oil and vegetable oil; I like the flavor of the sesame oil but it's overpowering to me if that's the only oil used. I use about half and half; so in the instructions when it says, "oil," you can use either.

Instructions:

Heat 2 T oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Toss carrots in oil and stir-fry (keep it moving all the time) until tender. When the carrots are almost done, add the green onions and stir fry together for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and put carrots aside in a small bowl.

Add a little more oil to the wok; heat. Scramble four eggs (you can use fewer; I like it eggy) in a small bowl with a fork. Season with salt & pepper. Pour eggs into the wok; "stir-fry" until all the way cooked... it's just scrambled eggs; best in small pieces. Remove to a small bowl; set aside.

Put a little oil in the wok (yes, again) and the sesame seeds. Cook until lightly toasted. Add chicken pieces and about 2T soy sauce. I also sprinkle some Asian seasoning on the chicken as it's cooking. Stir fry chicken until cooked through, then remove to a small bowl and set aside.

Now that our extras are all cooked, it's time to stir-fry the rice. It will be very sticky so you will need a little more oil in the wok, but not too much because the chicken & veggies & eggs have oil on them too, which will be added in later.



So heat a couple more tablespoons of oil (I usually use sesame for this part) in the wok, and add the cooked rice. Stir-fry it around, breaking up all the clumps. Add about 2-3 T soy sauce and keep stirring until the rice is all warm. Add the chicken, eggs, and carrots all in, as well as the frozen peas. They will cook as you continue cooking the whole thing. Add a few dashes of Asian seasoning here and there, as well as additional tablespoons of soy sauce, until it's a nice color and flavor. I always just keep tasting it as I go. Keep in mind that the Asian seasoning will taste stronger after a longer time, so don't overdo it if you don't want it too spicy. Just keep stirring and tossing everything together, and tasting, and seasoning... until it's just how you want it!


How's that for ambiguous instructions? :) Give it a try though; I think you'll have success.


Tonight we enjoyed this fried rice with some frozen Panko-crusted shrimp that I bought at Costco the other day. I made this sweet n' sour sauce to go with it, which was delicious! Even my kids ate it all up.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Great with fried shrimp, egg rolls, anything!

1/3 c rice wine vinegar
1 T cornstarch
2 tsp oil (vegetable or sesame)
2/3 c unsweetened pineapple juice (there is enough juice in a 20 oz can of pineapple chunks, FYI)
2 T ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, whisk together vinegar and cornstarch until combined. Add all the rest of the ingredients; bring to a boil while stirring continuously. Remove from heat and serve.


In the picture above, I had used about half this amount of cornstarch; it was a little too runny for my liking so I will use 1 T next time as indicated.

Easy Soy Chicken

This is so quick and easy; we have it all the time. I always serve it over rice, and usually with some cooked frozen Asian-blend vegetables, or peas.

Small pieces of chicken cook quickly so if you want to serve this over rice and are using traditional rice (not Quick rice), start the rice a few minutes before you start on the chicken.

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts - enough to feed your family... in my case it's two (my kids don't eat much)

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c soy sauce

1/4 tsp dried ginger

2 tsp cornstarch

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, or into slices (whichever you prefer). Spray a large skillet with Pam and put it on medium heat. Cook the chicken in the skillet just until the outside of it is cooked. Pour sugar, soy sauce, and ginger over chicken, mixing it around. In your measuring cup, mix the cornstarch with about a tablespoon of water (I just mix it around with my finger) until the cornstarch is dissolved; pour into the skillet. Mix it around. Turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Let it bubble for a couple minutes and then turn the heat to low, keeping it warm until ready to serve.