You'll find a pretty picture of raw rice.
A picture of cooked rice.
And, if I do say so myself, some pretty appealing photos of veggies being chopped and then sauteed.
But you will not find a single picture of the finished dish. Nope. Not a one. And I'll be honest with you. I didn't even photograph this dish, because it just wasn't attractive.
It looked oh-so-pretty in the prep stages. All those pretty colors and shapes. Peppers. Celery. Mushrooms. But when it was done, it just didn't look oh-so-pretty anymore.
The saving grace was that it was scrumptious, and we scraped every last bit out of the pan. (Come to think of it, I should have photographed the empty pan. That was a pretty sight.) So, I'm sharing the recipe here. I hope you'll make it. Preferably not on a night when you're having company. Or planning to take photos for your food blog.
Fried Rice with Vegetables
Vary the vegetables if you like. Bok choy, water chestnuts, and baby corn would make a truly Chinese dish. Frozen or fresh corn and peas or red/yellow/orange bell peppers would be really pretty too. If you don't have any leftover rice, make some fresh, but plan in advance so it has a chance to refrigerate for at least a few hours or even overnight. You don't want to start with warm fresh rice for this recipe.
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 bell pepper, sliced
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced thin
a few button mushrooms, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
4 cups of leftover brown rice (start with about 1 1/2 cups raw)
1 tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the onion and saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat, till soft. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes or so, till warmed through and softened.
Add the rice and mix well (or break it up with your hands). Cook, stirring from time to time, for about 10 minutes or until the rice is warmed through.
Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
We love fried rice as a way to use up leftover rice. We also will add some scrambled egg to it for a good texture and some extra protein. Also add some chopped ginger...ups the flavor profile a bit.
ReplyDeleteI love fried rice and yours sounds so good. I agree with An Out of Town Mom--I also love egg in my fried rice. Have you ever tried adding a little lime juice for a Thai twist--so good.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it looks like you changed the fonts on your blog (or is it my imagination?) Looks good!
Thanks Laura and Out of Town Mom. I will definitely have to try the ginger and the lime juice. Both of those sound great. I actually often add scrambled eggs or omelet slice thin. Then I can serve this for dinner without any extra protein. (Very perceptive Laura - yes, I have changed up the look just a bit. Glad you like it!)
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