Wednesday, March 6, 2013

the BEST Veggie Fried Rice

After numerous failed attempts at making a good fried rice that isn't soggy I think I finally hit the jackpot. Now of course you can change around all the ingredients and add more vegetables or chicken, pork, fake meat, etc. But here is what I made mine with:


VEGGIE FRIED RICE

2 1/2 cups cooked, cold, brown basmati rice (all I had on hand!)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/3 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. diced yellow onion
1 medium celery stalk, diced
2 medium carrot sticks, peeled and diced
1/4 c. diced green pepper
1/4 c. diced orange pepper
1/2 c. diced red pepper
1 c. broccoli florets
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. water
1/4 c. chicken broth (you may omit)
1 tbsp. ground ginger 
2 tbsp. soy sauce
black pepper to taste

Alright, here's what you do! Cook whatever rice you decide to use and stick it in the fridge for several hours.  Next up, scramble your egg, egg whites and 2 tbsp. water and cook in a non stick skillet using cooking spray. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Wipe out your skillet (you'll need a pretty good sized one) and heat 1/2 tbsp. oil, add in garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add in all your vegetables except mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add in your chicken (or veggie broth) if you wish, however, I think it may have made the rice even drier had I skipped this step. Add in your ginger and soy sauce. Saute for another minute or two and remove from pan. 

Turn heat up to medium high and add remaining 1/2 tbsp. of oil. Add cold rice to pan and season with black pepper. Using a rubber spatula continue to flip rice around to dry it out a bit more and give it that "fried" color and texture. After several minutes of heating it through add the egg back in and saute for another minute. Lastly, add all your cooked veggies back in and warm through. 

Makes about 7 - 1 cup servings - 140 calories, 3g fat, 6g protein, 23g carbs, 3g fiber per cup.