Easy Fried Rice
If you love restaurant-style Chinese fried rice, then you need to try this delicious recipe. This Easy Fried Rice is simple to make but packed with flavor. Make it your own by adding your favorite vegetables and protein – it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!
If you’ve been following along with my blog at all, you know how my oldest kiddo (Jack) is obsessed with sports. And when I say obsessed, I am telling you the biggest understatement of the year. He will play ANY sport – basketball, baseball, football, soccer, you name it and he is in! If you ask him what his favorite part of his school day is, he will most likely tell you that it’s either gym (no explanation needed there), or recess when he plays football with his 3 friends.
When we went to Jack’s conferences this fall, his teacher had so many positive things to say about Jack. At the end of his conference, his teacher finished with “Well, if I had to give you some constructive feedback for Jack it would be to make sure that he doesn’t play tackle football at recess”. Oh my gosh, I almost started laughing out loud. In my head I was thinking, okay we can work with that – HA!
I’m not quite sure what Jack loves more – playing sports or watching them. He loves alllll Minnesota sports – Gophers (football and basketball), Twins, Vikings, Wild, Loons – he literally loves it all. This summer, Jack recorded every Twins game on our tv. He watched EVERY. SINGLE. GAME. and would record all of the players stats in his baseball score book.
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He learned that a backwards “K” stands for a strikeout where the batter was just looking at the pitch and not swinging (I also learned this new baseball fact)! He knew every single player’s name and the (presumed) lineup for each game. He had running commentary the whole game – “Why did he just throw a fastball? Are you kidding me??”; “Kepler, come on – why did you swing at that pitch?!” Oh my gosh, watching Jack watch the Twins is literally the cutest thing ever. I wouldn’t even need to watch the Twins – I could just watch Jack watch the Twins.
When it came time for playoffs, he stepped it up a notch and made each player a sign. When that particular player was up to bat, he would hold up their sign and cheer them on. Let’s just say the Twins playoffs did NOT end how Jack was hoping (here’s to wishing that next year is the year)!
So, after all of this, we thought Jack was just obsessed with the Twins. Nope. Turns out, not only is Jack obsessed with the Twins but ANY Minnesota sport that is currently in season becomes his latest obsession. Gopher football, Vikings, Gopher basketball, MN Wild – you name it and the kid will watch it. Intently.
He also loves playing sports. This summer, we have been playing a ton of sports in our basement. When we play baseball, he creates a pitching order with his baseball cards and calls who is up to bat next. During football, both Jack and Will declare what football player they are going to be. Danielle Hunter, Vikings defensive end, is a popular choice in our house (we saw him at Bruegger’s Bagels this summer and the boys have been in awe ever since). If Jack is feeling particularly feisty, he will tell Will that his team is the Packers and they are going down (the Vikings – Packers rivalry is something fierce in our house)!
Other Easy Recipes
Since we spend so much time playing sports in the basement, some nights I need to whip up dinner QUICK (because, you know we have just entered our third overtime because somehow we keep ending with a tie – I’m looking at you Jack – quit trying to make the game last longer)!
Why is Fried Rice “Easy?”
Anytime a recipe has the word “easy” in it – I come running! My Easy Fried Rice is the perfect recipe for a weeknight meal. When your schedule feels like it’s going a mile a minute, the last thing you want is a dinner that will take forever to cook. Just grab a bag of frozen peas and carrots, cook up some eggs, add in your rice and seasonings and you have dinner ready in under 20 minutes!
Easy Fried Rice Ingredients
- white rice
- carrots
- peas
- eggs
- green onions
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- fresh garlic
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Freshly Cooked Rice
As I created this recipe, I wanted to get the most flavorful fried rice that I could. I finally figured out the trick! Make your freshly cooked rice at least a day before you plan to eat it. I know, it sounds strange but using cold, day-old fried rice (instead of hot, freshly cooked fried rice), ensures that the rice absorbs more flavor.
In addition, when you add the rice to the pan, you want it to be cold so that you can get a nice fry on the rice. This makes your actual cooking time a lot less too, since you have the rice all cooked and ready to go. All you need to do is just toss it in the pan!
Types of Protein to Add:
You can also customize this fried rice by adding anything you would like. Extra veggies, additional protein, just make it yours and enjoy! Here are some of my favorite protein additions to this Easy Fried Rice:
- chicken
- shrimp
- tofu
- steak
Make it Your Own!
You can use any leftover veggies you have (fresh or frozen) in this fried rice recipe. It’s the perfect meal to make when you have a lot of roasted veggies that you don’t know how to use.
You can also change up the meat that you would like to add to this recipe. Typically, if I add meat, I will use chicken. Some other options that you could use would be bacon, ham, shrimp, steak, tofu, the list goes on.
Make this recipe your own and enjoy!
Tips for Involving Kids
- Have your kids peel the garlic for you – it will definitely take a lot longer than if you were to do it yourself but it will keep them busy AND they will have a sense of accomplishment when they are finished!
- Let your kids chop up the garlic and try out those kid knives!
- Have them help you measure out the ingredients and pour them into the pan.
- If you’re feeling brave, let your kiddos crack the eggs (you may have to fish out some eggshells but this is my boys’ favorite job)!!
- There is always going to be a mess when you cook with your kids but, like my little guy Will (3 years old) says, “It’s okay Mom, chefs make messes and then they clean it up.” Have fun cooking with your kids!!
Easy Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups white rice cooked
- 1 cup carrots frozen (can use fresh)
- 1 cup peas frozen
- 4 eggs scrambled
- ½ cup green onions sliced
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions and cool.3 cups white rice
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and scramble them. Pour the eggs into a pan over medium heat. Cook and break the eggs into large chunks.4 eggs
- Remove the eggs from the pan and add 1 Tbsp sesame oil.
- Saute the peas and carrots for 2 minutes.1 cup carrots, 1 cup peas
- Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant.4 cloves garlic
- Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, garlic powder and green onions to the pan.½ cup green onions, 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 4 Tbsp sesame oil, ½ tsp garlic powder
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add cooked protein (if wanted), season with salt and pepper and serve warm!salt and pepper
