Simple Fried Rice

The dish that I get asked most about is definitely fried rice.  This is a dish every Asian grew up with and everyone has their own version.  It's simple home-cooking that originated as a leftover dish.  With that said, I really just wanted to give the most basic fried rice recipe here and emphasize that you can add almost anything you want to this recipe.  There are only three main ingredients to fried rice and the rest is up to your imagination and taste, or as my Mommie did: anything that was leftover from the night before.  It could be chicken, shrimp, tofu, curry, beef, even hot dogs, or ham.  Just like how you can top pizza with anything you like, you can add any protein, veggies, or seasoning to your fried rice.  See this recipe as the primer coat of paint that you use as a foundation to add your own color and flavors upon.  There are also several ways to make fried rice and there's not right or wrong.  This is MY way because this is how I like it. =)

Ingredients:

2 Cups   Day-Old Cold Rice 

(It's not the end of the world if its not "day-old" rice.  You can use freshly cooked hot rice, but what tends to happen is a mushier fried rice.  Leftover rice for a day or longer in the fridge tends to dry out thus not as pleasant to eat, unless cooked again that's how the whole idea of "frying" leftover rice came about.) 

2 Eggs   Beaten

2 Stalks Chopped Green Onion

Salt and White Pepper Powder (Fresh ground black pepper could be used in place of the white pepper)

Cooking oil

Instructions:

Heat about half a tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok or regular frying pan over medium-high heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with the oil and add the beaten eggs and a pinch of salt.  Scramble the eggs, remove from pan and set aside.  ***Some people like to stir fry the rice first and add the beaten eggs directly to the pan of rice so that the eggs slightly stick to the rice.*** Turn the heat up to high, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the rice.  Immediately start breaking up the rice, if there are any clumps, and stir constantly in the pan.  You can flip it if you're feeling confident and fancy!  When the rice is thoroughly heated through, add the green onion then season with salt and pepper.  ***This is the point when you can add any additional ingredients; make sure that any meat or veggies you add are already cooked, do not add raw ingredients!*** Add the scrambled eggs back into the pan and stir to break up the eggs into smaller pieces.  Remove from pan and serve. 

Here's a video to further illustrate the instructions...

Scrambled Tomatoes & Eggs with Scallions

This is another simple recipe that most Chinese households know.  Eggs are not just for baking or breakfast, this savory dish uses eggs as one of the main ingredients and can be enjoyed anytime of the day accompanied with some rice.  

Three ingredients makes this whole dish: 

2 Stalks of scallions (green onion) chopped

2 Roma tomatoes chopped (I like Roma tomatoes because they have less seeds and tend to be a little sweeter, but you can use any other tomato you have in the fridge) 

2 Eggs beaten 

*serves 2

Put about 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  When you see a slight smoke and the oil is gliding easily across the pan, add the beaten eggs.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt and scramble the eggs then remove from pan.

Add another teaspoon of cooking oil to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes.  Cook the tomatoes for a couple minutes then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar (only add the sugar if the tomatoes are too sour, the sugar rounds out the flavor).  

Add the green onions and cook for another minute, then add the eggs back into the pan and break up the eggs further tossing with the tomatoes.  

Remove from pan and enjoy with some rice!

Breakfast of Champions Asian Style: Kabocha Porridge with Sesame Oil Fried Eggs

I LOVE porridge, risotto, grits, anything in that comforting soupy realm is all good.  Growing up in a Taiwanese household, we didn't eat egg mcmuffins, waffles, or pancakes for breakfast.  We ate porridge.  It is so comforting to me to eat a warm bowl of porridge with some eggs or veggies on the side during the cold winter mornings.  Gives me the strength to face the day, well at least until lunch. ><

So this is my favorite winter time breakfast: a simple Kabocha Squash (Japanese winter squash) porridge with a side of pan fried eggs over medium.











There are two hidden ingredients that makes this meal so delish: sesame oil and white pepper.

Any self-respecting cook of Asian cuisine should have these two items in their pantry at all times.

Sesame oil has a very strong rich flavor that just resonnates "Asia" so be careful...a little goes a long way!

White pepper powder gives just enough heat and slight punch with almost a curry-like flavor as well.  It's warming and not as invasive or sharp as cracked black pepper.


TIP: get the white peppercorns instead of the powder.  Freshly cracked white peppercorns are so much more potent so you need a lot less than the packaged powder.








Quick note about the following recipes: all the ingredient measurements are just approximates to taste and preference.

Kabocha Porridge
1 cup of raw rice cooked in 3 cups of chicken stock (about 1 hour)
OR
1 cup of cooked (day old) rice cooked in 2 cups of chicken stock over medium low heat saucepan for about 10-15 minutes
* Cooking time is dependent on your preferred consistency of the porridge.  The longer you cook it, the more the rice breaks down in the porridge and the thicker it gets.

When the porridge is about 5 minutes to preferred consistency, cut  the Kabocha into 1 inch bite size pieces and drop into porridge to cook the remaining 5 minutes.
* To see if Kabocha is cooked through take a toothpick or chopstick and stick it through a piece of the squash.  If it goes through easily then it's done.

Pinch of salt and crack of white pepper to taste.

Fried Eggs in Sesame Oil
Add about a teaspoon of cooking oil and a half teaspoon of sesame oil to a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  When you see a little smoke coming off the pan and the oils move easily across the pan, crack 1 or 2 eggs into the pan.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and when you see a slight brown edge forming, flip the egg(s) over with a spatula.  Cook for another minute, turn off the heat, and remove eggs from the pan.  Sprinkle more salt to taste.

If you like egg yolks more runny then only cook the eggs for a 15-30 seconds after the flip.  The idea behind a good fried egg is to get that brown crisp edge.

Heart of Green

I LOVE avocados!  The natural creamy goodness, the subtle yet intoxicating flavor, and something about cutting open the rough unattractive outer shell to find such beautiful green flesh never ceases to amaze me.  The Chinese term for avocado literally translates to "butter fruit".  Avocados are nature's butter.  Give me a piece of toast with half an avocado sliced on top with a little salt and pepper and I'm content with life. =)

This Green Goddess Breakfast is my perfect way to start the day...

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1/2 Avocado

A few Basil leaves

1 piece of Toast

Salt and Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Toast a piece of bread in the toaster or oven.  Pan fry an egg gently in olive oil to medium doneness (cooked on both sides but the yolk is still slightly runny, salt and pepper).  Cut half an avocado into slices.  Arrange the toast on bottom, then add the egg, then the avocado slices, and lastly the washed and dried basil leaves.  Drizzle with a little more extra virgine olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simple green goddess goodness