As Adrienne Houghton would say: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, fried rice!
It’s practically the one main thing you can be sure I will always order when I eat at a Japanese, Thai, or Chinese restaurant. Dining out is no longer as convenient as it used to be and let’s be real, take-out can get pretty pricey. Now, in no way am I discouraging you from supporting your local community restaurants. Especially during these times, it is of utmost importance that we support each other, most especially our small businesses. At least once a week, my family and I often order takeout from our favorite local pizzeria. However, we understand that we can’t simply order takeout everytime we get tired of our regular, schmegular home kitchen menu or have a craving to eat something non-traditional. Not too long ago, my husband and I tried making our very own home version of fried rice and now I make it all the time! Sometimes I make it with chicken, other times with shrimp. What I love about this dish is that there are so many ways you can vary it up and make it unique to your liking. Simply by replacing and mixing up the vegetables and/or meat you use in your rice.
Here’s what you’ll need to make my chicken-vegetale version:
Ingredients:
Rice
Cooking oil
Shredded Carrots
Bean sprout
2 eggs
Chicken Breast
Scallions
2 Garlic Cloves or Minced Garlic
Soy Sauce
Black Pepper
Salt
Powdered Garlic
Paprika
Onion Salt
Adobo Seasoning
Yellow Onions
Oregano
Cooking Directions:
1. Start by cooking your white rice.
*Considering those who may not know how to make rice, here is the instructions:
Pour about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into a pan.
Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the oil.
Add the # of cups of water based on the desired amount of rice you would like to cook. For example, if I want to make 2 cups of rice, I will pour 3 cups of water to the pot. **NOTE: This only applies if you are using brown or parboiled rice. If you are using enriched rice, the amount of water should be exactly the same as the amount of rice. For example, if I am using enriched rice and want to cook 2 cups of rice, I will add 2 cups of water to the pot.
While the water boils, begin to wash your rice. Make sure to drain out all the water from washing.
Once the water inside the pot is boiling, add the rice. Let that boil.
Once all the water has evaporated from the rice, lower the stove cooking temperature to the lowest setting, mix the rice, cover it and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. *I like to use a sheet of aluminum foil to cover the rice.
2. Cut up your chicken breast into small chunks and wash as desired. *I like to wash my chicken with white vinegar and a lime.
3. Season your chicken with your preferred seasonings. *I like to use the ones listed above such as black pepper, ¼ teaspoon of minced garlic or 2 chopped garlic cloves, powdered garlic, paprika, onion salt, oregano, and adobo seasoning.
4. In a large pan or wok, pour ½ teaspoon of oil and let it get hot. Once the oil is hot, pour the chicken and let it cook.
5. While the chicken is cooking, begin to chop your scallions and onions. Scallions should be chopped into tiny small pieces and onions can be cut into rings or long thin slices.
6. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk until mixed.
7. Once the chicken is fully cooked, move all the chicken to one side of the pan, add the scallions, bean sprouts, and onions. Let it all cook for about 3 minutes.
8. Next, add the carrots to the pan and let cook.
9. Move everything in the pan to one side and cook the scrambled eggs. If you don't feel comfortable cooking the eggs on the same pan, you can always cook the eggs in a separate pan and then pour it back into the fried rice pan.
10. Add all the white rice to the pan.
11. Add about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and mix everything together.
12. Add a pinch of salt and season to desired taste.
And that’s all folks! Enjoy your home-made dish!
*Tip: Add some little touches like green basil/cilantro leaves and serve it on nice plates to create the illusion that you and your family are dining at a restaurant.
