Fried Rice with Leftovers
I make this dish all the time. We eat a lot of rice in my home, so there is always some left over in the refrigerator. Sometimes this is for dinner or sometimes I whip it up early in the morning and give it to the kids for lunch in a thermos. It’s so versatile, combining whatever you have in the refrigerator. I love reinventing the leftovers!
Tips:
All the components of the dish should be cut small. Not much larger than the cooked rice. You want to get a variety on your fork or chopstick when you eat it.
This dish should be made with cold rice, but if you must have it then you could make a batch of rice. The texture will not be the same however, so just think ahead.
Add whatever veggies you have leftover. Small broccoli florets would be delicious.
Shaoxing wine is rice wine. If you don’t have you can substitute a dry sherry, white wine,
Fried Rice with Leftovers
Originally from NYT Cooking
Serves 4
PREP you did it already
COOK 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
1 cup peas (defrost if frozen)
1 tablespoon minced ginger, or to taste
3 to 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Chicken, beef, pork- whatever is leftover in the refrigerator, diced or shredded
¼ cup Shaoxing wine, or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup scallions, sliced thinly
INSTRUCTIONS
Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large skillet, and turn heat to high. When it begins to shimmer, add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add any protein you are using towards the end to heat it through. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables and meat to a bowl. Add the defrosted peas to this bowl too.
Put remaining oil in the skillet, followed by garlic and ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, about 15 seconds later, add the rice, breaking up clumps with a spoon as you go along and tossing it with oil. When the rice is well coated, make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Scramble these, then stir into the rice.
Return vegetables and meat to the skillet and stir to integrate. Add wine or water and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Turn off heat, add scallions and serve.