Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 4.5 cup cooked white rice (day-old or fresh)
• 0.5 tsp sesame oil (divided)
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce (divided)
• 2 tsp light soy sauce (divided)
• 0.5 tsp salt (for rice seasoning)
• 0.5 tsp turmeric (optional, for color)
• 1 tsp MSG (optional)
• 0.5 cup onion (diced)
• 0.25 cup carrots (diced)
• 0.25 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (diced)
• 0.25 cup bell pepper (any color, diced)
• 0.75 cup snow peas (chopped)
• 1 scallion (chopped)
• 2 cup mung bean sprouts (rinsed and trimmed)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for eggs)
• 1 garlic (minced)
• 0.125 tsp white pepper (for stir-fry)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (for finishing)
• 2 eggs
• 0.25 tsp salt (for eggs)
• 0.125 tsp white pepper (for eggs)
• 0.5 tsp Shaoxing wine (for eggs)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for stir-fry)

Steps

1. 1

   If using day-old rice: Take your rice out of the refrigerator. Wet your hands, and break up any clumps with your fingers. Set aside on the counter for 1 hour, so the rice can come up to room temperature.

2. 2

   Mix sesame oil, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using) in a small bowl and set aside.

3. 3

   If using fresh rice: Wash, rinse, and drain your rice. Prepare it in a rice cooker or on the stovetop. To the rice and water before cooking, add the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using). Stir until well-mixed, then cook the rice.

4. 4

   After fresh rice is cooked, leave it to cool uncovered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with chopsticks or a fork, and turn it out onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool further and dry out slightly.

5. 5

   Dice and chop all of your vegetables (onion, carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, snow peas, and scallions) ensuring they’re all about the same size. Rinse, clean, and trim the mung bean sprouts. Set all vegetables aside.

6. 6

   In a small bowl, combine the eggs with salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine. Beat for 30 seconds.

7. 7

   Heat your wok until it just begins to smoke, and add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to coat the wok. Pour in the beaten eggs.

8. 8

   Scramble the eggs. When they’re about halfway done, turn off the heat. Use your wok spatula to break the eggs up into smaller pieces, using the residual heat of the wok to just cook them through. Remove from the wok and set aside.

9. 9

   Heat the wok to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the onion, garlic, and carrots. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

10. 10

    Add the mushrooms and bell peppers, and continue to stir-fry for another 30 to 60 seconds.

11. 11

    Turn the heat up to high and add your rice. Immediately begin stir-frying, firmly scraping the contents of the wok from the bottom up to prevent sticking.

12. 12

    After 1 minute of stir-frying the rice, pour your prepared sauce evenly over the rice (if using leftover day-old rice) and stir until the rice is an even color.

13. 13

    Add the white pepper and keep stir-frying for another minute (about 2 minutes total for the rice). Once steam starts rising and it's heated through, taste and add additional seasonings if needed.

14. 14

    Add the snow peas and stir-fry for 15-30 seconds. Add the cooked eggs and mix until incorporated.

15. 15

    Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir it in.

16. 16

    Finally, add the bean sprouts and scallions. Stir-fry until the bean sprouts just begin to wilt, then serve.

Notes

To make this recipe vegan, simply omit the eggs. You can add cubed pan-fried tofu for additional protein. Note that time to pre-cook rice is not included in the prep time.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• side dish
• vegetarian
• stir-fried
• chinese
• rice
• easy
• weeknight