I first started making this fried rice when living in New Hampshire for grad school. At the time, I didn’t have easy access to an Asian market, but still wanted to make some Japanese comfort foods. Like a lot of my other recipes, it’s a bit more fusion than traditional Japanese fried rice, but I like that I can throw in a bunch of veggies depending on what I have in my fridge.
Easy Fried Rice
Ingredients
Key Ingredients
- 0.5 lbs Ground meat (I usually use ground pork, but you can easily swap for ground beef, chicken or turkey. You can also use more or less meat depending on your meat/rice ratio preference.)
- 8-10 Sweet peppers
- 1-2 Eggs (beaten)
- 1 tsp Neutral oil
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce (Start with 1 tbsp then build up depending on your preference)
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 3/4 cup Cooked Rice
Optional Ingredients:
- 1-2 Zucchini
- 1-2 Squash
- 1/4 cup Edamame
- 1/4 cup Peas
Instructions
- Start your 3/4 cup uncooked rice in a pot or in a rice maker (day-old rice is better, but freshly cooked will also do)
- Cut sweet peppers in half length-wise, remove the seeds then thinly slice
- If you’re using zucchinis or squash in your fried rice, halve lengthwise and slice into half-rounds
- Heat up the oil in a large pan. If you’re using zucchini or squash, start by browning it in the hot oil with a pinch of salt and pepper then set aside
- If you’re not using zucchini or squash, go directly to browning your choice of ground meat with a dash of salt and pepper
- Once the meat is almost fully cooked (little to no pink left), throw in the sliced sweet peppers in the pan and cook until meat is fully cooked and the sweet peppers are softened
- While your meat and sweet peppers cook, beat the egg(s) in a small bowl with another dash of salt and pepper
- Once the meat and bell peppers are cooked, push to one side of the pan, then pour in the beaten egg to cook
- Once the eggs are cooked, mix with the meat and add the zucchini/squash back in
- Add the rice and mix with all the ingredients
- Add the soy sauce and vinegar and mix well - make sure to start with the smallest amount of soy sauce and add more as you taste. Once you achieve the saltiness level best suited for your taste, it’s ready to be served!
- Enjoy as is, or top with thinly sliced scallions or red pepper flakes for some kick
Notes
- Fried rice is best kept simple. I’d choose only 1 or 2 of the optional ingredients to put into any batch of fried rice. If you put in too much, your fried rice will turn more into fried veggies with a bit of rice.
