Domesticity Nouveau

Friday, June 25, 2010

Fried Rice

Domesticity Nouveau recently had the pleasure of creating a guest post for Ginger Lemon Girl's 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals.  Carrie's kitchen focus is on cooking gluten-free whole grains, low sugar, and healthy fats and protein sources.  Her blog is a great resource and has loads of tasty recipes just calling out for you to get into the kitchen and start cooking!

Below is the post I shared, plus a few more versions to inspire your palette!

How many times do you look in the fridge and declare “There is nothing to eat?” all the while knowing full well that there is, it just isn't appetizing.  Rather, it just isn't appetizing in its current form. The quick meal that our home always goes to is Fried Rice.

Plain rice is a constant staple to be found in our ice-box.  On its own, it will fill the hole and stop the grumbling, but it yearns to be something greater.  It dreams of being as tasty as it was the day of its creation when it was smothered in a scrumptious sauce.  It longs to become a taste filled expression of culinary art.  It pines for adoration from gastronomic brilliance.  It covets the cravings we express for pizza. It aches to become….

Okay, okay, I know it is just plain rice, but like us all, it holds so many possibilities to become something magnificent!  Although fried rice is commonly thought of as a Chinese dish, it is more a cooking technique that easily lends itself to other cuisines.

The key to good fried rice is day old, very cold rice.  I make big batches of brown rice every week, so it is always available and I freeze potions so it is ready anytime we need it.  Another key to successful fried rice is an extremely hot pan. For this reason, do not use a non-stick pan, since Teflon will release toxins at high heat.

I don’t normally follow a precise recipe for fried rice, since it is happens to be whatever is in my fridge, but I do have several versions that have served us well.  Here are the basics and six different versions to inspire your pantry creations!

Fried Rice Basics
for 2 servings :

1 1/2 cup cooked rice, any variety
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cup veggies
2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup protein, diced
1-2 tbsp aromatics
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish

Rice – day old, cold rice of any kind
Oil – Vegetable oil, bacon grease, schmaltz, coconut oil, olive oil
Protein – Egg, seafood, poultry, pork, tofu, beans, bacon
Veggies – carrots, celery, green beans, peas, a bag of whatever is frozen in the freezer
Aromatics – soy sauce, roasted Szechwan salt and pepper, herbs, spices, garlic, sesame oil, citrus zest or juice, Caribbean seasoning, Greek seasoning, Bragg’s liquid Aminos
Garnish – green onions, feta cheese, seeds, nuts, fresh herbs, fruit

The basic technique:
Have all ingredients prepped and at the ready.
1.  Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat.  Add a bit of oil and fry eggs; remove from pan and set to the side.
2.  Add a bit more oil and stir-fry vegetables (and protein if uncooked) until crisp tender.
3.  If needed, add a bit more oil and bring to high temperature.  Add cold rice and stir-fry until hot.
 4.  Add aromatics, protein (pre-cooked) and eggs, tossing to distribute evenly.
5.  Transfer to serving dish, garnish and serve with a smile.


Chinese Fried Rice

1 1/2 cup rice
2-3 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cup carrots and peas
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced pork or chicken or shrimp
1-2 tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s to taste
1/4 tsp roasted Szechwan salt and pepper (optional)
Garnish with sliced green onions

Chicken and Celery Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil or schmaltz
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1/2 cup chicken
Aromatics:
2 Tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Garnish Options:
Sesame seeds or sliced almonds


Greek Fried Rice
(Top Photo)

1 1/2 cups rice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups green beans, diced carrots, sweet peppers & onions
1 large handful of spinach torn into smaller pieces
1/2 cup chicken
Aromatics:
2 tsp Greek seasoning
-or-
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp fresh dill, or 1/4 tsp dried
Garnish Options:
Kalamata olives
Feta
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh chopped mint

Add spinach and aromatics just prior to adding rice.

Tropical Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 tbsp coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced sweet pepper
1/2 cup diced ham
Aromatics:
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp orange zest
1-2 Tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s to taste
Garnish Options:
1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained or 1/2 cup diced mango
Chopped macadamia nuts or cashews
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt to taste

Add ginger just prior to adding rice

Mexican Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup cooked shrimp or chicken
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced
Aromatics:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Garnish Options:
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
avocado and tomato wedges
Salt and pepper to taste

Add aromatics just prior to adding rice

Irish Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup diced corned beef
Salt and pepper to taste

3 comments:

  1. I love fried rice. Thanks for so many options. I am going to try out the tropical fried rice, sounds really good.

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  2. Thanks for all the different recipes; I love fried rice!

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  3. I just wanted to stop back and thank you for all the rice recipes, I have tried them all and they have all been hits for dinner, thanks again.

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