As I sit down to type this out I realize that I am not an authority on fried rice, in any official capacity anyways. I grew up loving fried rice, it being a standard part of our Chinese food order. I have eaten quite a lot of fried rice, and since moving to Iowa it has become quite a standard thing we cook often. What I love about fried rice is that it is flexible. If you have tofu, you can use it, chicken, sure, mushrooms, why not, fennel, zucchini, all are welcome. As my mom uses salads and soups for her clean-out-the-fridge meal, my go-to is fried rice. I find each combination is exciting and interesting. This is one of the few foods I do by instinct rather than recipe, so when I sat down to write and test this recipe I needed more than one attempt to mimic what I would naturally do. One other side note is that this fried rice is quite garlicky so if you do not like garlic, I would steer away from this recipe or just omit it altogether. This recipe takes quite a while from start to finish because many ingredients require being prepped ahead of time. Start by cooking 1 cup of rice in 1 1/4 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, from there place your pot in the fridge, to make this go quicker you can spread out the rice on a sheet tray and put it in the freezer, this will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to make this recipe. Next take 1 large chicken breast and sprinkle with seasoned salt, I prefer Lawry's Seasoned Salt. I sear it on both sides on medium heat and then place it in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minute or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Once it is cooked and cooled, chop into 1 inch pieces. Next while your chicken and rice are cooking, prep your vegetables. Peel and mince a 1 inch piece of fresh ginger and 4 cloves of garlic. Next peel and finely chop 2 carrots, 1 piece of celery and 1 onion, I typically leave my onion in larger pieces because I prefer it that way. Also chop your 2 scallions for your garnish. Then heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan on medium heat. While your pan is heating up scramble 5 eggs in a bowl and add to your pan when your butter has melted. Scrambled until cooked through. Once your eggs are cooked remove them to a separate dish. In your same pan add 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (you can use regular sesame oil instead it just will have a milder flavor). Once your butter has melted add in your minced garlic, ginger, and onions and cook until translucent about 5-10 minutes. Watch closely, you do not want them to burn. Then add celery and carrots and cook until the carrots soften, for me this took about 7-10 minutes. Next add 1/2 cup frozen peas and 1/4 cup frozen corn. I add these from the bag from the freezer. I do not thaw them, but rather allow them to cook through. Cook until they are warmed through and there is no water (from the ice) in the pan. Now add in your rice, eggs and chicken back to the pan and stir to mix, making sure to break up any big clumps of rice. To this mixture add 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce (if not reduce add a bit at a time and taste as you go this will probably be too much), 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of granulated garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly to spread your seasonings throughout. Garish with your chopped scallions and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Serve with extra garlic salt and soy sauce as needed. This is just a guideline you can change out your protein or your vegetables for what you have in your fridge. Just make sure you chop them small, I feel like it tastes better when they are a smaller size. I also like to cook the eggs ahead of time so they do not get absorbed into the rice but stay more of a separate entity. Garlic Chicken Fried Rice
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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