Years ago I started making Fried Rice and over time I finally have it tweaked to taste pretty darn perfect. It's good enough that my husband and son ask for it quite frequently. We usually grab a couple egg rolls from the Chinese Restaurant nearby and then add some shrimp or chicken to the rice and we have a very fast dinner that tastes delicious.
I have never been a real big Chinese food eater but I love me some fried rice! I was so excited the first time I made it and it actually turned out pretty good. Not perfect, but not bad, so I kept trying. I would tweak little things and most the time I felt like it was a fail but over time I have it down to just the way we like it. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it work for your tastes. If you want a little Sesame Oil added to it go for it or if you want to add some broccoli and sprouts or other veggies then go for it...you get my point. It is one that works for you and your family.
You will need:
Cooked rice which is best if it's cold so I usually make it in the morning and then put it in the fridge. I used Minute Rice and made 3 cups for this batch because we like it for leftovers. You can adjust it to suit your needs.
Soy Sauce
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrotts
Sliced Mushrooms
Green Onions
Kikomon Fried Rice Seasoning Packet which will be in the same section that you find gravy mixes and chili mixes etc. Near the soups usually.
Any other meats, seafood or veggies your heart desires.
Sesame Oil to splash on at the end (I'm not a fan of Sesame Oil so I just put it on sparingly on individual servings)
This Fried Rice Seasoning packet is a game changer. It makes this rice so yummy!
First things first...dump your seasoning packet into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of warm water and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and whisk it with a fork until it's pretty well combined. It will still have some lumps and bumps but you want to get it as smooth as it will go. I usually do this first and then let it sit to dissolve further while I cook the veggies.
You can't have fried rice without the egg can you? I think not! Crack the egg in a hot skillet coated with a little oil and scramble that bad boy up. Once it's scrambled put it into a bowl to save for later.
Add a touch more oil to the bottom of your pan and add your frozen peas and carrots. I used a half of a bag but you can adjust this to work for your family. Some people might not want all these peas and carrots while others may want an overload of them so whatever works for you then go for it!
Add your sliced mushrooms immediately to the peas and carrots. If you are using other veggies go ahead and get them in there now so they have time to soften up. I keep my heat at medium for this step but if they don't seem to be getting browned up bump up the heat just a tad. I don't like my veggies mushy but I like them nice and soft so about 5 to 10 minutes of sauteing them or if you like them softer go longer or if you like them more crisp then do less. See how this recipe works for you? I love that!
While the veggies are frying up grab those pretty green onions and start chopping them up. I add the white pieces directly to the veggies as I go and then save the green ends to add as a garnish at the end.
If you have company coming or you just want to make your dish a little fancier then save some of the long pieces of the green onions and cut them into thin strips and place them over the serving of rice. I'm fancy like that! No, but really it does look nice it's just that my guys aren't going to really appreciate the beauty of adding that garnish so I don't typically do it.
Once the veggies are cooked up just the way you like them add in your cold or room temperature rice and mix to combine everything. If you rice is cold then you might want to let it sit on the heat for about 5 minutes and stir it frequently so it heats up before adding the sauce.
Once the rice mixture has started heating up you will add your Fried Rice Seasoning liquid. Stir it around really well to make sure it's getting all the rice coated. I usually do this step and then take a little nibble of the rice to see if I like the flavor and if not then I add a little more soy sauce to bump up the flavor.
Once the seasoning is just right for your tastes then add the scrambled egg and mix well. That is it! Easy as can be and you have restaurant style fried rice to serve your family!
This recipe is easy to adjust the quantity you make as well. If you are a small family make less rice and maybe only use a half or 3/4 of the seasoning mixture.
See how those crisscrossed green onions dress it up just a bit? I like doing this when we have this with company over. Makes me look like a real pro...totally kidding.
I am not a big meat eater so I usually don't add the meat or seafood directly to the rice but you can for sure do that. I have made it both ways and I personally prefer having just the veggies and then having the meat on the side.
This rice will hopefully put some smiles on your family's faces like it does mine!
Takeout Style Fried Rice
www.itsybitsypaperblog.com
3 to 4 cups Cooked rice
*Best if it's cold so I usually
make it in the morning and then put it in the fridge. I usually use
Minute Rice to keep things speedy and it always turns out perfectly. You can adjust the quantity of rice to suit
your needs.
2 to 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrotts
Sliced Mushrooms, optional and quantity will depend on
your tastes
1 bunch of Green Onions, chopped
Kikkoman Fried Rice Seasoning Packet
*sold in the same section that you find gravy
mixes and chili mixes etc. (Near the soups)
Any other meats, seafood or veggies your heart desires
Sesame Oil to
splash on at the end (I'm not a fan of Sesame Oil so I just put it on sparingly
on individual servings)
Pour your seasoning packet into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of
warm water and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and whisk it with a fork until it's well
combined. Let this sit while you prepare
the vegetables for the recipe.
Crack the egg in a hot skillet coated with a little oil and
scramble it. Once it's scrambled put it into a bowl and set aside for
later.
Add a touch more oil to the bottom of your pan and add your
frozen peas and carrots. I used a half of a bag but you can adjust this
to work for your family. Add your sliced
mushrooms immediately to the peas and carrots. If you are using other
veggies go ahead and get them in there now so they have time to soften
up. I keep my heat at medium for this step but if they don't seem to be
getting browned up bump up the heat just a tad. I don't like my veggies
mushy but I like them nice and soft so about 5 to 10 minutes of sautéing them
or if you like them softer go longer or if you like them more crisp then do
less.
While the veggies are frying chop up the green onions. I add the white pieces directly to the veggies
as I go and then save the green ends to add as a garnish to the rice at the
end.
Once the veggies are
cooked up just the way you like them add in your cold or room temperature rice
and mix to combine everything. If you rice is cold then you might want to
let it sit on the heat for about 5 minutes and stir it frequently so it heats
up before adding the sauce.
Once the rice mixture has started heating up you will add your
Fried Rice Seasoning liquid. Stir it around really well to make sure it's
getting all the rice coated. I usually do this step and then take a
little nibble of the rice to see if I like the flavor and if not then I add a
little more soy sauce to bump up the flavor.
Once the seasoning is just right for your tastes then add the
scrambled egg and mix well. That is it! Easy as can be and you have
restaurant style fried rice to serve your family!
