Better than takeout fried rice is the ultimate “use what’s in the fridge” dinner or side dish. Add in any extra chicken, pork or beef plus the odds and ends of vegetables like broccoli or carrots to bulk up the rice into a dinner. This comfort food dish is pretty easy to make with a few standard Asian staples from your pantry. You won’t want the bland and flavorless takeout fried rice after trying this recipe.
Preheat a large dutch oven or wok over medium heat.
While the pan is heating, beat three eggs in a separate bowl.
Chop up a medium head of broccoli and toss in olive oil and kosher salt to taste. Set aside.
Once the pan is hot, add in 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter. Once melted, add in the eggs.
Lightly scramble the eggs with a rubber spatula until just set and then remove from the pan and place in a separate bowl.
Add in the broccoli and saute for about 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to ensure the broccoli doesn’t burn. Cook until bright green and getting tender.
While the broccoli is cooking, mix together soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic paste until combined in a separate bowl.
Turn the heat up to medium high heat and add the remaining butter to the pan. Allow the butter to melt and then add in all the rice and the soy sauce mixture. Be sure to mix well and evenly coat the rice with the sauce. Make sure that the rice has maximum contact with the bottom of the pan. This will give you great texture and flavor. Toss the rice mixture every minute or so to ensure it doesn’t burn and the flavors continue to develop.
After about 3-4 minutes, the rice should have darkened a bit in color and become caramelized and a little crispy. Turn off the heat and add in carrots. Continue to toss the rice to warm up the carrots
Add in the scrambled eggs and break up with wooden spoon. Drizzle with sesame oil and give the fried rice a final mix.
Portion out the rice onto plates or into bowls. To finish, quickly chop up two bunches of fresh scallions using both the white and green parts. Add a sprinkle of scallions and sesame seeds to each bowl and enjoy.
Notes
You should really make the rice before hand and cool in the fridge overnight. However, in a pinch you can make rice according to the package instructions and put it on a sheet tray in the freezer for 15 minutes. You want cold and dried out rice.
You can make it with whatever rice you have on hand (white rice, sushi rice, brown rice, jasmine rice) just make sure it’s cooled and dried out a little.
Add whatever veggies you have leftover in the fridge. Pea pods, frozen peas, onions, peppers, mushrooms would all be delightful.
Feel free to add in already cooked protein like chicken, pork, beef or shrimp to bulk this up.
Store for three to four days in an airtight container in the fridge. Great for meal prep lunches if paired with an Asian inspired protein like teriyaki salmon or chicken.