Fried Rice

For as long as I can remember, fried rice has always been one of my favorite meals. The best part about this recipe is that it can easily be modified to your liking.  I used to make it with chicken, but I prefer it with ham because it has more flavor. You can easily substitute the meat and veggies or even add in some shrimp. I recommend using a rice cooker when making fried rice because it  doesn’t make the rice too mushy, as would making it in a saucepan.

2 cups uncooked white rice

2 cups water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups onion, diced (1 medium)

1 1/2 cups ham, diced

1 cup carrot, diced (2 medium)

1 1/2 tbsp white sugar

1 cup frozen petite green peas

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp milk

3 eggs

pinch of salt and pepper

 

Directions:

1. Rinse 2 cups of rice with water about 2-3 times. Rinsing the rice will remove some of starch that causes rice to be sticky. Place the rinsed rice in a rice cooker and add 2 cups of water. Once the rice is cooked, remove from the rice cooker and set aside.

  

2.  Heat olive oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and stir for about 20 seconds. Add in the diced ham and keep stirring until it begins to caramelize. (about 3 minutes)

  

3. Add in the diced onion and carrots and stir until the carrot softens and onion is translucent. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, peas, corn, and mix just until evenly distributed. Then stir in the rice.

      

4. In a bowl or cup whisk the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the eggs in a small greased frying pan and make it into a scramble.

  

5. Using a wooden spoon, break up the scrambled eggs into smaller pieces and stir it into the fried rice.

  

Note: Adding the egg scramble is optional. You can chop the vegetables the night before to save you some time when making the fried rice.