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Healthier, Veggie-Filled Homemade Fried Rice

DFGF

Healthier, Veggie-Filled Homemade Fried Rice

Homemade fried rice is easy to pull off: follow a simple formula and you’ll get to enjoy a delicious, healthier, veggie-filled dish everyone will love.

Addictive, Veggie-Filled Fried Rice / FoodNouveau.com

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Perhaps you’re thinking, a recipe for homemade fried rice, really…? Granted, fried rice is usually something I make with what’s left in the fridge: fry some veggies, throw in the rice, add flavorings, crack in an egg and you’re done. While this method works and makes a nice last-minute snack, knowing the right steps to make homemade fried rice will bring the dish from frumpy to outstanding.

Here’s my formula to make outstanding, healthier, veggie-filled, homemade fried rice.

First, you need to start with cold cooked rice, preferably jasmine or basmati. Leftover rice is best, but you can also cook some rice, spread it on a cookie sheet as soon as it’s done, and cool it completely in the freezer or the fridge before adding it to the recipe.

Second, you need to add veggies, lots of it. Fried rice doesn’t have the reputation to be a healthy dish, but it really depends of what you incorporate into it. I like to add half as much veggies as there is rice to make sure every bite is filled with color, flavor and goodness.

Third, you need to use the right flavorings. Onion, garlic and ginger is the classic line-up, but I also like to add chilies as well as fresh herbs as a finishing touch. As for the sauces, I used to flavor the rice with soy sauce, but I recently adopted the combination of fish sauce and rice wine vinegar, which add an intriguing depth to the rice without coloring it.

Finally, you need to add proteins. Eggs are a staple, of course, but the one ingredient that brings homemade fried rice to the next level is Chinese sausage. If you’ve never tasted it, you’re missing out. It’s unlike any other kind of sausage and it’s completely addictive. It’s usually sold in Asian grocery stores, sometimes in the freezer section. If you can’t find Chinese sausage, you can also use diced bacon, of course, or omit the sausage altogether to make a vegetarian fried rice. In addition to the sausage, I like to add tofu to make the dish even more nutritious and filling.

Homemade fried rice takes 10-15 minutes to cook, tops, as long as your prep is done before you heat up the wok. It is one of our recent favorites and every time I make it, it feels like a different dish because I use different vegetable combinations, according to what’s on season. I challenge you to make it at home and bet it’ll quickly become one of your go-to dishes too!

 
Addictive, Veggie-Filled Fried Rice / FoodNouveau.com

Healthier, Veggie-Filled Homemade Fried Rice

Homemade fried rice is easy to pull off: follow a simple formula and you'll get to enjoy a delicious, healthier, veggie-filled dish everyone will love.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Total Time:30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Marie Asselin (FoodNouveau.com)

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp 60 ml peanut or canola oil, divided
  • 3 eggs beaten

Proteins:

  • 3 links Chinese Sausage lap chang, cut in 1/4-in (0.5-cm) dice
  • 1/2 cup 125 ml firm or extra-firm tofu, diced

Aromatics:

  • 2 inches 5 cm fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 long red chilies sliced (these chilies are fairly mild, but remove the seeds if you don’t like things spicy)

Veggies:

  • 1/2 cup 125 ml each, for a total of 2 cups (500 ml) vegetables (see note)
  • 1/2 cup 125 ml cauliflower, cut in small florets
  • 1/2 cup 125 ml carrot, matchsticks
  • 1/2 cup 125 ml corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup 125 ml green peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 4 cups 1 L cooked rice, cold
  • 1 tsp 5 ml kosher salt, or to taste

Seasonings:

  • 1 tbsp 15 ml fish sauce, or to taste
  • 2 tbsp 30 ml rice wine vinegar
  • 3 green onions white and green parts, thinly sliced
  • Fresh basil to serve

Instructions

Helpful tip: Make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready before you start frying.

  • Cook the egg: Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil in a wok or a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, pour in the beaten eggs and stir constantly until puffed and cooked. Remove from the wok and set aside for later. Wipe out or clean the wok.
  • Cook the vegetables: Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil the wok over high heat until it’s shimmering. Add the 2 cups vegetables (cauliflower to green peas) and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside with the eggs. Wipe the wok clean.
  • Cook the proteins: Chinese sausage and tofu are fully cooked, so you only need to heat them. Heat 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil to the wok over high heat and add the diced sausage and tofu and sauté until they’re golden and a little crisp. Careful not to overcook the sausage so it doesn’t get dry and tough. Remove the meat (set it aside with the eggs and veggies) and keep any rendered fat in the pan. Note: if you’re using bacon, sauté it for 2-3 minutes before adding the tofu to make sure it’s cooked.
  • Cook the aromatics: Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil to the hot wok. When it shimmers, add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies and sauté for 2 minutes more.
  • Add the rice: When the ginger and garlic are starting to turn golden, add the rice all at once. Gently poke the rice to separate chunks, tossing it to make sure every grain touches the hot canola oil and the aromatics are well incorporated. Stir-fry until the rice is very hot and looks dry and separate. If you don’t have a really hot burner, it’s ok to let the rice sit for a few seconds at a time before stirring; less agitation is actually better than more as long as nothing is scorching. Season wtih a few pinches of kosher salt, keeping in mind that the fish sauce in the next step will also add saltiness.
  • Mix in all the cooked ingredients and seasonings: Toss in the cooked egg, vegetables, sausage and tofu, and mix well over high heat. Clear a spot in the center of the wok for the wets seasonings. Pour the fish sauce and rice wine vinegar into the wok. Let them become hot and bubbly before stirring the rice into it. Keep cooking and tossing until the rice is dry again.
  • SERVING: Add the sliced green onion. Mix well. Serve each portion very hot, topped with chopped fresh basil.
  • STORAGE: Leftover homemade fried rice will keep refrigerated for a couple of days. I love to reheat it for breakfast! I even like to enjoy it cold, straight out from the fridge, as a snack.
  • Recipe Credit: Adapted from a technique and recipe by Whitney Chen.

Notes

Use any kind of vegetable you have on hand: snow peas, green beans, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, edamame and cabbage all work wonderfully.

Did you make this?

Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.

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Author: Marie Asselin

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

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  1. This is the perfect recipe to make with leftover In Cuisin risotto! Add more veggies and sausage and voilà! Thanks for the recipe! :)