Fried Rice Forever
The everyday fried rice that turns leftover cold rice, a couple of chicken breasts and whatever veg you've grated into a fast, golden weeknight dinner.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the marinade
2 tsp grated ginger
80ml mirin
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sea salt
For the rice
2 chicken breast fillets (about 500g), chopped into 1cm cubes
4 cups leftover cold rice (jasmine, basmati or brown - it doesn't matter)
2 eggs, beaten
4cm knob ginger, grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp rice bran oil, divided
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 tsp sea salt
chilli, to taste (optional)
METHOD
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl - ginger, mirin, sugar, sesame oil and sea salt. Add the chopped chicken, coat well, and let it marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of the rice bran oil over medium-high heat. Add the grated zucchini, frozen peas, grated carrot and sea salt. Cook until the vegetables soften, then transfer to a plate.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the marinated chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes, until golden and cooked through, then remove from the pan.
In a bowl, place the cold rice and pour the beaten eggs over it. Gently toss with a fork, coating every grain and breaking up any clumps.
In the same pan, add the ginger and spring onions and stir-fry in the remaining rice bran oil over high heat for a few minutes, until they start to brown and smell fantastic.
Add the eggy rice to the pan and stir well. Add the chicken stock powder and sugar and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the grains begin to turn golden.
Return the cooked vegetables and chicken to the pan and stir until everything is warmed through.
Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and, if you like it spicy, some chilli.
HINTS
Cold, day-old rice is the secret - fresh warm rice steams and clumps, where cold rice fries up into separate golden grains.
Coating the rice in beaten egg before it hits the pan gives every grain that glossy, restaurant-style finish.
Get the chicken properly golden before it comes out; those caramelised edges carry the whole dish.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4-6 - guide only):
Energy: 11200 kJ (2680 cal)
Protein: 150 g
Fat: 95 g
Saturated fat: 18 g
Carbohydrate: 300 g
Sugars: 35 g
Sodium: 4600 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.