Veggie Fried Rice

Have all veggies ready to go. Cooking time sort of depends on how tender you want everything; I like the peppers crisp, but carrots less so.

I cook my egg ahead of everything, in a hot pan with a little bit of oil, without stirring. Just toss it in, turn off the heat, and turn if necessary. Roughly tear it into pieces, and set aside. (I throw the egg in with cooked peas at the end.)

Saute onions and shallots in hot, but not smoking peanut oil, maybe 5 minutes total. Add carrots and let them brown a touch. Add rice wine vinegar and cover for a minute or two; lower heat.

Add chopped bell pepper (I use red and green) and cook till only just fragrant. You can toss in some chopped mushrooms, too, if you have any; they’re good and earthy.

Now get your cold rice from the fridge. Basmati, jasmine, or long grain brown rice are good. I use a cup of brown rice but this time I had basmati, so I added a cup of that, too.

Turn the heat back to high and add a little more peanut oil if needed. Toss the rice in and stir pretty much constantly for a few minutes. Add soy sauce (dark is fine for color, but regular is good for flavor), salt and pepper to taste (rice needs salt). Add egg and peas. Stir till warmed through, turn off heat and finish with sesame oil.

Personally, I think the peanut and sesame oils are critical to fried rice.

You can make this a main dish easily with the addition of chicken, shrimp, pork, scallops, etc. I made this tonight with Melanie’s Sweet and Sour Chicken.