The only few times we have leftover cooked white rice at home is when there is remaining rice-portions from take-outs or from rice-leftovers when we dine out.
That said, ever since I have successfully used Indian Basmati rice for Chinese dishes such as Shanghai Vegetable Rice 上海菜饭, white rice has now found its way into my pantry and kitchen.
Isn't it weird that while the majority is shunning white rice for health reasons, I have actually started to include white rice in our diet? However as I have said quite many times, moderation is key, including "grains" or carb options. In a week, we switched among pasta (durum wheat), noodles and bread (wheat), rice, oats, quinoa and millet.
Another reason to stock up white rice at home is because of fried rice. Truth is, fried rice is truly fried rice when made with white rice. Brown rice works, not to mention these healthy "grains-options" such as quinoa, mixed-grains rice; BUT that does not taste as good as the fried rice we grew up with.
If you have been to some Chinese restaurants and ordered vegetarian fried rice, know that it is a rip-off when you are charged $12 or more for a plate of fried rice cooked with white rice, eggs, and a few diced-stems (leftovers! scraps! of green vegetables e.g. probably Gai Lan or broccoli). Bleh!
Anyway, the message is: don't have vegetarian fried rice outside, make it at home with your own food scraps. Food scraps may sound disgusting, but from your very own kitchen, such vegetables/produce at their last leg is of known source and does not mean sub-par quality; and most importantly, it can turn a two-day-fridge-old rice into a tasty delight.
Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice 蔬菜蛋炒饭
Ingredients:
1 bowl rice (seasoned with 1 tsp sesame oil)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 organic egg, whisked and seasoned with 1tsp soy sauce, pinch of ground white pepper
Outer leaves of brussel sprouts (they usually fall off when whole brussel sprouts are sliced to halves for roasting)
Broccoli stems (when you cook with the florets, just set aside the stems for other usage)
Green onions to garnish, option
Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Directions: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in pan or wok. Fry up garlic, add the thinly sliced broccoli stems and fry till stems are slightly tender (about 2mins). Add the brussel sprouts leaves, fry for about 1 min. Add the white rice and loosen any clumps in the hot pan. Fry at medium heat till rice loosens up. Push the rice on one side of the pan. Add 1 tsp of oil in the center of the pan and then slowly add the egg in the center. Break up the egg and then re-mix the rice on the side to the egg and fry them together. Add green onions, salt and pepper to taste.
Sharing with Hearth and Soul
Tag: fried rice, food scraps, vegetarian fried rice
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