Yum
The other day, you wowed your family when you made 15 minute
Beef and Broccoli for supper. You came home from work, threw together a wonderful supper, and turned the whine into dine. And you did it with one hand tied behind your back. Well . . . maybe technically you didn’t do that. But you could have. I’m sure of it.
Today, it’s time to add another weapon to that amazing “Quick and Easy” meal arsenal . . . homemade fried rice.
Fried rice is the unsung hero of your menu. It can be thrown together for a quick and easy side dish to that Beef and Broccoli we mentioned, above. It can take leftover rotisserie chicken– those little shreds that you can’t even bribe the teenagers to eat– and give it a makeover that would make Cinderella proud. Yes. You can take chicken scraps and make it into a meal in 15 minutes. Just like its brother, the Beef and Broccoli, fried rice is cheerful, easy to please, and ready to go to bat for you on a busy night. Throw in the leftover vegetables or meat lurking in the fridge, desperate for escape, and whip those babies into something amazing.
What are we waiting for? Let’s do this!
Fantastic Fried Rice
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp. oil
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 egg, beaten
2 cups fully cooked rice (minute rice or leftover white rice are quick and easy choices)
1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped (extra rotisserie chicken works great)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Directions:
Sauté onion and frozen vegetables in oil until soft. Add in beaten egg and stir to scramble. Add cooked rice, chicken, and soy sauce. Mix well, allow to heat throughout, and serve immediately.
Now, in pictures! 🙂
This recipe is so simple. In two shakes, it will be done, so let’s show you how to make it! First, get your oil heating in a pan– use cast iron if you have it, because it glazes and crisps up vegetables like nobody’s business. Put in your chopped onion and stir it around so everyone feels comfy together in there.
At this point, go ahead and microwave yourself 2 cups of minute rice– 1 cup of minute rice and 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Yep. That’s it. If you’re using regular rice, you cook it differently– it’s generally twice as much water as rice, simmered until the rice “drinks” the water, but see your specific package for directions. You can also use leftover white rice if you have some from another meal– in fact, that’s what Chinese restaurants do . . . they recycle the leftover white rice and make it fried rice. So feel free to fall in love with that rice for the second time around. (“Love is lovelier, the second time around . . .”)
Add in your frozen vegetables, too. Let the vegetables cook for a few minutes, so they get soft. If you have leftover corn, green beans, peas . . . whatever . . . in your fridge from last night’s dinner, go ahead and throw those in, too. The more the merrier. You’re getting the kids to eat leftovers and eat vegetables. You’re quite the sneaky one . . . remind me never to play Monopoly with you.
When the vegetables have softened (maybe 5 minutes later), add a beaten egg right in there. Make sure you beat the egg with a fork in a small bowl, first– since the skillet is hot, we don’t want to start cooking an over easy egg by accident 😉 Stir the egg into the vegetables. It will immediately start to scramble– just keep stirring and make sure the egg gets completely cooked.
When the egg is finished (maybe 2 minutes), go ahead and add your 2 cups of cooked rice, soy sauce, and cooked/chopped chicken. Stir everything together and break up the rice clumps. The mixture will take a few minutes to heat throughout . . . and then break out the chopsticks . . .
Because dinner is served!
Use it as a side dish. Throw your extra vegetables and chicken (or leftover Christmas turkey) in there. Make it a main dish when you serve it with a side salad. Spread out on a picnic blanket on the living room floor and watch “the Karate Kid.” That just can’t help but be loads of fun.
Make a fun meal together, and then make some memories. That’s what it’s all about.
You did it. And I’m just so proud of you.
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