SpectrumGirl

Fusion Fried Rice – this is a blend of American, Chinese, Persian, and Thai influences and it is my go to for using up leftovers. We tried it with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving this year and it worked just fine.

I have fond memories of a Thai friend of my mom’s cooking his version of fried rice for us as young kids. He used lots of eggs and some secret fish sauce along with other mystery ingredients. I have never been able to exactly recreate that deliciousness but I will keep trying.

The Persian members of my family insist that no rice is as good as basmati so I almost always use that type of rice. But really, brown rice, jasmine rice, anything tastes great. The ease of this recipe is that you just keep the general proportions of ingredients but substitute whatever you have on hand.

If you have the energy and the time, try adding fresh minced garlic and ginger when you add in the veggies. I add up to a tablespoon of each. Add some fish oil if you like it. (Please tell me the perfect thai fish oil for fried rice if you know it!) And garnish with something bright, fresh and green, like cilantro leaves or chopped green onion and some sesame oil. But seriously, only if you are feeling it, because it will taste just fine without.

Also use a big wok. It just makes it easier to toss everything together.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

3 cups cooked, cold basmati white rice

4 cups fresh veggies (whatever you have leftover in the fridge). I often find myself using bell peppers, onions, baby broccoli, and carrots but whatever you use is fine. Just cut into equal bite sized pieces and you can cook them all at the same time.

1/2 lb protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu – your choice), sliced or cubed into small pieces and marinated in a mix of about 1 tbsp cornstarch and either saki, mirin, or soy sauce –

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

Hot chili oil (adjust to your spice preference)

Red pepper flakes.

Toasted sesame seeds (you can buy these in the Asian section of most grocery stores or just use regular sesame seeds and fry with the veggies or skip it, whatever!)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Step 1: Prepare the Rice

If you don’t already have 3 cups of cold rice you will start by preparing your rice (one cup dry will yield 3 cups cooked) according to the package directions. Prep the rest of the ingredients while it cooks and let it cool as much as possible before proceeding. Cold rice ensures that each grain remains separate and doesn’t turn mushy during the stir-frying process, however I have made it plenty of times without cooling and as long as you don’t overcook it to begin with it will come out ok.

Step 2: Marinate the Protein

The marinade is easy, and ups the flavor and tenderness of the protein. If you are using already cooked leftovers, there is no need to marinate. Marinate your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu in a mixture of about 1 tbsp cornstarch and either saki, mirin, or soy sauce. Allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the flavors while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3: Chop Your Veggies

Chop them into evenly bite-sized pieces for a visually appealing and texturally satisfying dish. The more colorful, the better. 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots along with some fresh chopped onion will work if that’s all you got.

Step 4: Coat your eggs

Pour about half of the beaten eggs into the cold rice and stir to coat. Reserve the remaining eggs and set the rice aside for now. If the rice is hot just do your best to quickly coat the rice. If the eggs start to scramble its ok. It will still taste great.

Step 5: Time to stir fry

In a large skillet or wok, heat a bit of peanut or avocado oil over medium-high heat. Both of these oils have high smoke points. If you don’t have them just use whatever! Add in your protein and stirfry but let it sit a bit so it browns nicely.

After a minute or two add in your chopped veggies (and any ginger/ garlic or sesame seeds) and continue to stir-fry until they begin to soften and turn vibrant in color. Again a little browning will only enhance the flavors. Shake some red pepper flakes over everything about now.

Next up, add your rice. Add your cooked, cold rice to the skillet and gently stir-fry everything together, push the rice to the side and pour in remaining egg and scramble. Continue stirfrying everything together until the grains of rice separate.

Now drizzle in your sauces and chili oil and continue stir frying until everything is mixed well. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

So there you have it! Hope you enjoy whatever you create and would love if you share a picture with us.

• 2/3 cup cooked tri-color quinoa
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp sliced toasted almonds
• 1 oz feta cheese

Heat olive oil in medium frying pan until hot. Add garlic and pepper flakes and saute for a minute or two. Stir in cooked quinoa, tomatoes and spinach and saute until spinach just wilts. Sprinkle with salt and vinegar. Gently fold in crumbled feta cheese. Put in serving bowl and top with almonds. (Serves 1)

3 eggs
240 g - 360 g all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
6 ounces fresh or frozen spinach

I bought a pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and tried it for the first time last night. It was so easy compared to the hand crank I used before. I can see a lot more fresh pasta in my future.

I read a bunch of different recipes to see easiest way to add in spinach and settled on a puree.

Steam 6 ounces fresh spinach until bright green and softened, if using frozen defrost it first, about 2-4 minutes. Let cool and use a cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze out all the liquid. Puree spinach with olive oil and salt. (I used a hand blender). It will give you about 1/2 cup puree.

Put 240g of flour in Kitchenaid mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center and add in the eggs and the puree. Use the all purpose paddle to combine into a rough dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 10 minutes adding in more flour as needed to create a smooth elastic dough that is not too sticky.

Shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to a couple of days.

Cut the dough into eight pieces and flatten each to a rough rectangle. Feed it through setting one on the machine (speed of 2). Fold into thirds and feed again. Dust with flour to keep it from sticking.

Feed each piece once through settings 2,3,4 and 5.

Switch to the fettuccine cutting attachment. Using a speed of 5, cut each sheet into noodles. I have a pasta dryer I hang them on but you could just dust with flour and pile them onto a tray.

This recipe gave three generous main dish portions.

I made a quick alfredo sauce and topped with air fried broccoli, carrots and yellow peppers.