Fried rice is a quick meal, especially when you have leftover rice on hand. Add scrambled eggs and serve a few sides so kids can build their own rice bowls.
After a bazillion taco nights, my family needed something new in the dinner rotation. I wanted a meal that was served the same way as taco night, because like most kids, mine really like being able to personalize what's on their plate. Plus, my kids are obsessed with using tongs, so any meal that involves airlifting food out of a serving bowl and dropping it onto their plate is a hit.
While taco night is on hiatus, we've been living it up with fried rice night.
At its most basic, fried rice is warm, crispy rice with scrambled eggs mixed in. It's delicious comfort food, filling and satisfying and very easy to make. Especially this recipe, which keeps things as simple as possible.
A simple bowl of rice and egg is completely satisfying on its own. It's a perfect meal for toddlers, little kids and less adventurous eaters. The rest of us can amp up the flavor with my maple-soy sauce tempeh, baby kale, peas, green onions, and Sriracha.
Or, maybe you could add leftover steak with snap peas. Or tofu and broccoli. Or chopped up chicken breast. Or frozen peas and crumbled bacon. Fried rice is a Choose Your Own Adventure kind of meal, one that encourages using up all the random odds and ends that have collected in your refrigerator and freezer.
Lately, my husband and I have been liking crumbled tempeh as a topping, although my kids prefer tofu. The marinade in the recipe can be used for both.
Other toppings can be served raw or sauteed briefly in a little oil before you make the rice and eggs. For summer, I've been thinking that maybe corn and bacon would be delicious?
Fried rice is a meal born from leftovers, especially leftover rice. Slightly dry, day-old rice gets crispier in the pan. In an ideal meal planning world, you and I would plan a dinner on Monday or Tuesday that has rice as a side, and we'd make extra rice to stash in the fridge. Then on Wednesday, we'd throw that rice in a pan for Fried Rice Night.
In my real world, I often end up making rice in the morning and spreading it out on a sheet pan in the refrigerator to cool and dry out a bit. Then I make fried rice that same night. I've been making this recipe with brown rice, with no complaints.
For both fried rice night and taco night, these small tongs are perfect for kids. Don't you love the minty color?
Fried Rice Night
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
When I make fried rice for my family, I cook the rice and eggs together and serve everything else separately so my kids can build their own rice bowl. This recipe is simple and kid-friendly - feel free to saute garlic, onion or ginger with the rice for more flavor.
Ingredients
3 to 4 cups cooked brown or white rice*
3 eggs, scrambled
3 tablespoon avocado or vegetable oil
Marinade
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil or toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Optional Sides and Toppings
- Protein (8 to 12 ounces): crumbled tempeh, cubed tofu, leftover cooked meat or shrimp
- Frozen peas (defrosted)
- Snap peas, raw
- Sauteed baby spinach or kale
- Green onion, chopped
- Sprouts
- Any type of sauteed or steamed vegetable: broccoli, carrots, zucchini
Condiments
Sriracha sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Soy sauce
Kimchi
Instructions
*Ideally, make your fried rice from leftover day-old rice or rice that's been cooked a few hours before dinner and spread out on a sheet tray in the refrigerator to cool and dry out
Whisk together the marinade ingredients: soy sauce, oil, maple syrup, rice vinegar. Pour half of the marinade over your protein: tempeh, cubed tofu, or leftover cooked meat of some sort.
While the protein marinates (for at least 10 minutes, but longer is better), get your sides ready. I usually defrost peas, snip greens onions with kitchen shears, and saute baby kale or spinach. When all your sides are on the table in little bowls, heat the protein.
In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add your protein to the pan. Saute the tempeh, tofu or other protein until it’s heated through and nicely browned and a little crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Take the protein out of the skillet and put it in a serving bowl on the table.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and swirl it around the pan. When the oil is hot, add the rice. Spread the rice out evenly and press down on the rice so it completely covers the bottom of the pan. Cook, undisturbed, until rice begins to get golden and a little crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir well, then spread the rice out evenly in the pan again and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
Push all of the rice to one side of the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add another tablespoon of oil to the empty side of the pan, and pour in the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked but still soft, mix the scrambled eggs into the rice. Pour the remaining marinade over the rice and eggs, mix well, and cook 1 minute more. Taste, and lightly salt if needed.
Put the rice in a big serving bowl, and serve with all your sides and condiments.
Notes
The marinade can be used to flavor 8 to 12 ounces of tempeh, tofu, or meat.
Meat tastes best in fried rice if it's chopped up into very small pieces. I use leftover meat that's already cooked - just chop into tiny pieces, marinate briefly, and heat it in a pan before serving.
The tempeh I use is Trader Joe’s 3 Grain tempeh. I like it best crumbled into tiny pieces.
- Category: Rice
- Method: Pan Fried
- Cuisine: Asian inspired
Keywords: fried rice, tempeh
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