My Cheap Family Meals 7 – Fried Rice

Fried Rice

Bacon Fried Rice

The next of my cheap family meals is Fried Rice

Introduction

Time to use up those leftovers!

Raid the fridge and see what needs used up. This is a frequent flyer in our house and has been for many years. It is also a favourite. It is the perfect vehicle for using up left over meats or vegetables from the Sunday dinner. It can also be vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten free. You don’t have to use left over meat, fresh meat will work just as well. We often add in eggs but these can also be the main stay of the protein element. I am sure you could add in soya chunks instead of meat.

Ingredients for four portions

8oz (dried weight) of cooked hot long grain rice (See Tips)

A large onion, chopped

Some oil

1 Tablespoon of Sesame oil (optional)

A couple of garlic cloves crushed

A small chilli finely chopped

A couple of tablespoons of grated fresh ginger (See Tips)

A selection of veg.  (See Tips)

8oz of cooked meat (See Tips)

4eggs (optional -see Tips)

Soy Sauce

Method

Cook or reheat your rice. Prepare your veg – peel and chop fresh veg or simply chop left over veg, Cook your meat, if required in a little oil and remove. Add a little more oil to your pan, if you need to (a wok is the best pan to use here but make sure it is a big one) and if you are using any raw root vegetables then add them at his point and cook over a low to medium heat, to taste. Some people prefer them crunchier than others. Now turn up the heat and add the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and sesame oil, if using. Cook for a minute or two. Add in the rest of the veg and your cooked meat and stir and toss about until you are happy they are cooked to your taste and well heated through. Now add your eggs, in what ever form you wish, and mix through. Finally add in your hot rice and as much soy sauce as you like and mix well. I don’t over do the soy sauce at this point as people can always add more on their plate. Now serve to the ravening hoards. This dish seems to go cold very quickly so make sure the table is set and the kids ready and waiting when you are finished. Using heated plates also helps.  If you use left overs for this dish then do not keep any that is not eaten as it can’t be reheated again. Our dog loves fried rice!

Variations

Infinite - see tips on rice, meat, veg and eggs

Tips

Ginger – I buy a large hand of fresh ginger and freeze it, as is – no peeling!. It can then be grated, from frozen on a fine grater and added into your dish. This makes it more economical to use as you use the skin as well and also means less mouldy or dried up ginger rotting away in the bottom of the fridge or veg basket. The taste of fresh ginger is far superior to the powdered kind.

Rice – I use long grain as it is usually available under an own brand basic range and is the cheapest rice to buy. You can use whatever rice you prefer. Just cook it and no more. Do not over cook it as it will still absorb a little more moisture when added to the final dish and will end up too sticky and stodgy if over cooked. It will still be edible though and it is not the end of the world if this happens. Cook for 12-14 minutes in a large pan of salted boiling water). You can also add stock or stock cubes to the water to add extra flavour to the rice. The absorption method is better for this. Add 1/4pt of stock per 2oz of rice and cook in the microwave for 14-15 minutes on high. Stirring half way through. Leave covered with a plate when cooked. You can also use left over rice for this dish. Either refresh in boiling water for a minute or microwave to heat through. Be careful though as you do not want to use rice that has been sitting around in a warm kitchen for a couple of days. I only use left over rice  when it is  a day old and has been in the fridge, any older and I throw it away – just to be safe.

Veg – You can use fresh, frozen, tinned or left over vegetables in this dish. As much or as little as you like. Suggestions include carrots, turnip, courgette, butternut, mushroom, peppers, peas, sweetcorn or beans, and any more you can think of. I would steer clear of potatoes though as they can disintegrate and make the dish too sticky. Remember if using root veg to either parboil them first or let them stir fry a little before adding the other ingredients, as they do take longer to cook through.

Eggs – These can be missed out if you don’t like eggs, or are allergic to them, or simply don’t have any.  If making this a vegetarian dish then I would increase the eggs to at least one per portion. I like crispy eggs bits so I scramble my eggs in a heavy pan with a little oil and continue cooking them, scrapping then up from the bottom of the pan,  until they have formed small crispy lumps. I then have to resist eating these while cooking the rest of the dish.  You can just stir the raw eggs into the hot rice and mix through to cook.

Meat – This can be left over meat from the Sunday roast simply cut into bite size pieces. It can also be pieces of bacon fried until crisp. Fresh  meat should be sauted in a little oil in the pan you are going to use for your dish. Don’t wash away any residue as it will all add to the taste, just remove the meat with a slotted spoon when cooked leaving behind any fat or oil.

Thank you for reading this and please come back to my cheap family meals.