Fried rice is a hearty and healthy comfort food. Plus, it’s frugal! Use this easy fried rice recipe to mix and match meat, seasonings, and vegetables to your taste.
If my memory serves me, I never had fried rice growing up. Yet now it makes an almost weekly appearance in our meal plans. What’s the draw? The fact that it’s easy, inexpensive, and incredibly versatile. And supremely satisfying.
Do you see a pattern with my blog posts? Notice that I like recipes that are simple and delicious and cheap? Of course, I make yeast breads and thousand leaves tortes and hand-squeezed limeade sometimes, too. But all of those are more time-consuming and you must plan ahead for each.
When you need real comfort food you usually need it fast. Perhaps that’s why many people turn to packaged ready-to-eats to satisfy that craving. It’s convenient. Well guess what? Fried rice is almost as easy and likely much healthier. Make a bowl and dig in. It’s your new comfort food!
Fried rice is made up of four components: rice, protein, vegetables, and flavourings. The items in each category can be supplied by your imagination. Here’s a fish version to give you an idea:
Fish Fried Rice
Fried rice is a hearty and healthy comfort food. Plus, it's frugal! Use this easy fried rice recipe to mix and match meat, seasonings, and vegetables to your taste.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rice
- 2 3/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 4-oz fish fillets
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
Instructions
Cook the rice and water in a rice cooker or in a pot over the stove, according to the package directions.
While the rice cooks, put the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the fish and saute until cooked through; add carrots and peas.
When the rice is finished, add to the pan with the fish. Stir in ginger, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
Crack eggs into pan. Let them begin to cook slightly, then stir mixture well until the eggs are fully cooked. Serve with additional seasonings as desired.
Recipe Notes
Variations
Meat: Instead of fish, substitute cubed pork chops, de-boned chicken, or ground beef.
Vegetables: Use chopped bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant, or whatever you have on hand!
Seasonings: Add coconut milk, curry powder/paste, cumin, chili powder, fish sauce, or sriracha to taste. Whatever flavours you like!
For the rice, we like to use white Basmati, which we buy in bulk.
My cookbook, Real Food for the Real Homemaker, is all about making real food from scratch! It includes 75+ recipes that are simple to make and use wholesome, familiar ingredients, and has 8 chapters on topics like food substitutions, kitchen tools, and freezer cooking. Pick up a copy HERE.
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