One dish that we make quite often is fried rice. It is a good way to use whatever you have in your fridge and it takes very little time to prepare. Over the years I have learned a couple of secrets to really good fried rice.
1. Make sure that your wok (or frying pan) is hot before you add the oil (I prefer sesame oil)
2. It is best to use day old, cold rice because hot, fresh rice has the tendency to clump
3. Frozen carrots, peas and corn work well because they are all about the same size and take about the same amount of time to cook
4. I cook the egg right before adding the rice so that it is incorporated into the rice and doesn't get stuck to the pan and burn.
5. Be careful about the ratio of veggies to rice. Adding too many veggies will make the rice soggy.
Bacon Fried Rice
Ingredients
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups cold cooked rice
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallions, green part only
Preparation
In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the eggs and cook, stirring, just until firm. Remove from the pan and reserve.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the rice. Mix well. Add the soy sauce and mix well. Mix the eggs into the rice, breaking them into smaller pieces as you stir. Add the scallions and bacon. Mix again to combine, and serve.
This is a basic recipe. You can use any kind of meat or vegetables. I especially like it with garlic.
As the weather cools, I like to serve a warm breakfast instead of the usual cold cereal. This one is a fast, fun take on cinnamon toast.
