Fried Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c brown long grain rice

3.5 oz pulled chicken thighs

1 egg, scrambled

2 T butter

2 oz kale

1 oz cut green beans

1 large carrot, grated

1.5 oz onion

2 T soy sauce

1 pinch red chili flakes

VEGAN OPTION

1/2 c brown long grain rice

3.5 oz sesame ginger tempeh

(cut into little pieces)

2 T sesame oil

2 oz kale

1 oz cut green beans

1 large carrot, grated

1.5 oz onion

2 T soy sauce

1 pinch red chili flakes

yeild: 2 servings

I love fried rice because you can add whatever you like to it. This is just a recipe that I like to use, I really like to use sugar snap peas when they're in season. It's a very fast process once you have your rice cooked, so it's a good idea to have all of your vegetables prepped and ready to go. This is a great way to use left over rice from a previous dinner.

First cook your rice. I learned the best way to cook rice from a Dutch woman in France. I told her that rice always stuck to my pot when I would cook it. Then she told me to cook it the same way as I would pasta. I haven't had my rice stick to my pan once since that day.

Bring a pot of water to a boil with salt. (At least 4 times as much water to rice) Throw in your rice and then cover. Remove from heat and set a timer for 20 minutes (15 for white rice). When your timer goes off strain, return to pot and cover until you need it.

Throw in chicken, or tempeh, and then add the soy sauce. The mixture will steam a lot, pull off of the heat and transfer mixture to a bowl.

Prep your vegetables and scramble your egg.

In a pan add 1T of your fat, butter or oil, turn your burner on high heat. This is a very quick cooking dish, you don't want to steam your veggies.

When the temperature is hot add your onions and carrots, be careful to watch out for any splattering. Sautee the veggies or stir them around, there will be a lot of steam. When your veggies start to caramelize add your beans and kale.

Cook until kale starts to wilt.

Add a pinch of red chili flakes. Soy sauce and the chili flakes should be added little by little. You don't want to go overboard on either of those too things. Nobody wants a dish that's too salty, or too spicy. The chili flakes will continue to add heat to the mixture once it returns to the pan, that's why I suggest only a pinch.

Once you have your veggies out of the pan, clean it and return it to the burner. You don't have to do this step if you have a good non-stick pan, but mine sticks a lot these days, so when it starts to stick I clean it out and start fresh.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter, or sesame oil, to the pan. Make sure it's hot before adding the rice.

Coat the rice thoroughly with the fat and let it start to brown.

Create a little well by moving the rice along the pan's sides. Pour your scrambled egg in the center. Let it sit for a minute, stir just the egg, letting it cook. Slowly incorporate the rice into the eggs. The hot rice will continue to cook the eggs.

Once you have your egg mixed into the rice, return the remaining ingredients to the pan.

Stir until the rice is fully incorporated with the rest of the components. Taste the mixture and add more soy sauce or chili flakes if needed.

Enjoy!