As a side or a meal, fried rice ticks all the boxes – it's nutritious, it's delicious, it goes with nearly everything and it's a good dish for using up all those leftover bits and pieces in your fridge or freezer.
Fried rice is one of a handful of dishes that everyone should know how to make. The following recipe serves four people.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons of
peanut oil (preferred) or
plant oil
Four cups of
your favourite rice
1 cup of diced bacon
3 whisked eggs
About five cups of your favourite vegetables like capsicum, onion, peas, broccoli, shallots or snow peas
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Peanuts (optional)
Rinse the raw rice before cooking to remove excess starch.
Measure out one and a half cups of water for every cup of rice (so for this recipe, you will need six cups of water). Add the rice to a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. When the rice begins to
form holes, turn the heat down to low, place the lid on the pot and simmer for about fifteen minutes.
For the best result, cook your rice the day before and refrigerate overnight so that the grains will dry slightly and become less sticky. If you are not refrigerating, rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear.
To make your fried rice, heat your oil in a wok or large frying pan on a high heat. Add bacon and stir fry for about two minutes, then add your vegetables and stir fry for about one minute.
Turn the heat down to medium and add your eggs. Use a spatula or egg flipper to break them up as they cook. When they have just set, add the rice to the mix and stir through until the mixture is combined and heated throughout.
Finally, add soy sauce and continue to stir fry until ready. To turn your fried rice into a meal, add about two cups of cooked prawns, chicken or beef.
Divide the rice into four bowls and top with a handful of peanuts.
