Fried Brown Rice with Chicken
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs. When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
• 3 tbsp. coconut or light olive oil, divided
• 300-400g/10-14 oz minced chicken
• 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chiles, finely chopped or sliced (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3-4 cups cooked, cold rice (I used brown)*
• 3-4 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 200g/7 oz frozen peas or trimmed fresh snow peas
• 200-300g/7-10 oz canned sweetcorn, drained
• bean sprouts, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
Place a large wok (or your biggest skillet if you don’t have a wok) on high heat. Add 2 tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Once hot, add the chicken and cook, breaking it up with the spoon and stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through and starting to turn golden brown, about 6-10 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chiles (if using) and stir for just 30 seconds till fragrant.
Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil to the cleared space in the pan, then pour in the beaten eggs. Stir the eggs quickly till they are cooked and starting to scramble. When they are just beginning to dry up, mix them back into the chicken.
Add the cold rice and the sauces, mix everything together and stir for about 2 minutes, till the rice is starting to warm through. Add the carrots and peas/snow peas, and stir a further 3-4 minutes, until the peas are warmed through and bright green or the snow peas are crisp-tender and still bright green. Add the corn, stir for just 30 seconds or so to warm through. Have a taste of the rice and adjust the sauces if needed. Switch off the heat, serve immediately, topped with plenty of bean sprouts!
NOTES
*If you don’t happen to have leftover rice in the fridge and would like to make fried rice, then plan ahead by cooking up a couple of cups of rice the day before, or at the very least 3-4 hours before dinner time. Cook the rice simply with just water in a rice cooker or on the stove, then once it is cooked, spread it all out onto a large baking sheet or tray lined with baking paper; this helps the rice cool down quicker. As soon as the rice calms down and stops steaming, transfer the tray to the fridge as it is; DO NOT cover it. Let it continue to cool, uncovered, in the fridge so that it is completely cold and dried out a bit, a minimum of 2-3 hours up to overnight (if you are REALLY in a hurry, an hour or an hour and a half in the freezer will work too). Once it is completely cold, you can either use it right away or transfer it to an airtight container for up to three days.
• Feel free to customise the ingredients for the fried rice as you please. Instead of the chicken, you could use: prawns, sliced chicken, beef or even just increase the eggs & omit the animal protein completely for a vegetarian version. For the vegetables, other great options are: bok choy, mushrooms, zucchini, capsicums, broccoli and green beans. Just make sure you add the vegetables early enough for them to cook through but still be crisp and green. If unsure, precook them separately (steam or blanch) and just add them at the end of cooking the rice.