Document text
Fried rice, or any grain, an infinitely flexible formula By Sarah Lemon Jun 30, 2020 10:51 AM A A What do you cook that young kids will eat on a busy weeknight? It’s the conversation fodder of working parents everywhere. And it’s a conversation taking place in my own home with my visiting sister-in-law who is tiring of her own cooking. Aren’t we all? Which makes a recipe that accommodates variety and whatever’s on hand even more appealing. My go-to in that category is fried rice. I’ve been making it for years for my two sons, who are persuaded to eat almost anything with a bit of crispy bacon sprinkled on top. The concept is simple: Make more rice than your family will eat at a given meal — perhaps stir-fry or curry or beef Stroganoff or whatever your family enjoys with rice. Then set aside the leftover rice in the fridge for later in the week or freeze it for use down the road. If I have a few strips of bacon on hand, I often start my fried rice by rendering that. Or I repurpose bacon fat, even duck fat, both of which lend a rich flavor without any meat. The following recipe from the Chicago Tribune calls for oil, which also could be coconut oil. Then decide what vegetables you can incorporate. Fried rice is an obvious for my family during the season for garden zucchini or eggplant. It also stretches just a few garden peas that can’t constitute a side dish on their own. The following recipe plays up spring-into-summer vegetables, still available at grocery stores. I particularly like the following instructions for using radish tops, which are delicious. The same can be done with turnip tops or beet greens. I also make a point of saving broccoli stems for use in fried rice. When we have garlic scapes, which the garden yielded several weeks ago, I use those place of scallions. All of this is to say that fried rice is an infinitely flexible formula. For that matter, it can be made with leftover steamed quinoa, millet or bulgur wheat. Toss in some leftover chicken, pork or steak. Top it with a fried or scrambled egg. We like our egg cooked in the same pan and stirred in just before serving. This technique yields a crunchy crust, which I love, but if you want a softer rice, simply stir the oil into all the ingredients to saute, rather than letting it cooked undisturbed. Crispy Fried Rice With Asparagus and Radishes 1 bunch red radishes with green tops, about 1 pound, halved as needed to bite size 1 bunch asparagus, about 1 pound 3 tablespoons oil 6 cups cooked rice, hot or cold 1/2 cup frozen peas 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon soy sauce 3 scallions, greens, trimmed and sliced thin (save white roots to regrow in a jar of water on your window sill) Butter plus lemon or white rice vinegar Soak the radishes to wash well of sandy soil; separate greens from red roots. For the asparagus, snap off tough bottoms for compost; snap spears in half, separate stems from tips. In a cold wok, skillet or wide-bottomed saucepan, add the oil then swirl to coat. Add the rice, then red radish roots and asparagus stems. Season with half of the salt and pepper. Cover, then turn heat on medium high. Cook until you hear sizzling and smell rice toasting, for about 5 minutes. Turn heat down, then carefully uncover. Scrape down any stray rice grains. Re-cover, then turn heat to medium and cook, for about 10 minutes. Turn heat down again, uncover, break up any clumps of rice and check that a crust is forming underneath. Add a little more oil as needed. Add radish greens, asparagus tips and the frozen peas, plus remaining salt and pepper. Re-cover, then turn heat to medium; cook, about 5 more minutes. Turn off heat, uncover, add soy sauce around edge of rice, then slide your spatula around bottom crust. Garnish with the scallion greens and butter; season to taste with lemon or vinegar for bright acidity. Serve directly from pan, breaking crunchy crust as needed, golden side up. Makes 3 to 6 servings. Tribune News Service photo