My children are newly obsessed with fried rice. They haven’t been into Chinese food so much in the past, but a recent stop at Panda Express (of all places!) convinced them that they love it. I’m thrilled that they like it because fried rice is an easy meal to prepare at home and I love that it uses up leftovers.
The other night I found myself with a bunch of leftover rice and no plan for dinner, so I improvised and pulled together this dish. The measurements aren’t exact because I pulled it together with what we had on hand, so this is more of a technique than an actual recipe but it’s pretty easy to follow. I just kind of eyeballed the amounts of everything so that I had the veggie:rice ratio that looked good to me.
Rainbow Fried Rice
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of oil (I’m guessing — use more if you need it!)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- thinly sliced carrot (I think I used about 1 big carrot or about 5 baby carrots worth)
- diced red bell pepper (I probably used about a half a pepper)
- shelled edamame (a half a cup? I just eyeballed it) or frozen peas
- About 3 cups of leftover rice
- soy sauce to taste
Begin by scrambling the eggs in a large non-stick skillet. Stop while they’re still a bit wet. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe out pan.
Heat oil. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add carrot and cook until it begins to soften. Add in bell pepper and cook until soft. Stir in edamame or peas. Add rice to pan and combine it well with the veggie mixture. Stir frequently until the rice is heated through. Add a good shake of soy sauce and taste it to see if you like the flavor. Add more if it needs it. Stir in eggs and serve.
The Verdict
OK — this one was kind of funny. The kids complained the entire time we were eating dinner! From the moment I set their plates on the table until we got up. First they were all, “What’s THiS??” I told them it was fried rice and reminded them that they like fried rice. Then Augie, who loves bell pepper started complaining about the bell pepper and picking it out. Wyatt, who gobbles up edamame in the shell refused to eat the edamame. But other than leaving those two veggies on the sides of their plates, they ate it all!
