My Version of my Dad's not so fried rice 

A healthy twist on a traditional recipe

One thing that my Dad and I definitely have in common in the kitchen is that neither of us like to follow a recipe. We both love cook books, cooking and eating out. We’re absolute food critics, but not in a ‘hoity-toity’ kind of way, we just love good honest food, and if we think we can do it better ourselves at home – well, we’re definitely not too shy to say so. This dish is one of those creations.

What would have started years ago as a simple twist on a traditional favourite from a cook book or dining out experience has slowly developed into something so far removed from what was originally intended. I watched Dad cook this dish for years {and don't get me wrong it was delicious} but then of cause decided that I could better it even further again. Sorry Dad, but I do like my version better than yours x .

So I give you: My version of my Dad’s not so fried rice.  

What you’ll need:

for the rice:

1 cup brown rice

3 cups water

1 tbsp. EVOO

A good pinch of salt

for the Asian egg:

1 large red chilli diced {I keep the seeds, you don’t have to}

4 x garlic cloves – finely chopped

1 x fat thumb sixe knob of ginger – grated

5 x large eggs

½ cup water

1 x tbsp. sesame oil

swine:

5 x rashes cut into thin strips /diced

the veggies:

½ large red capsicum diced

½ large yellow capsicum diced

1 x bunch of bok choy roughly chopped

1 x large carrot quartered and diced

1 x medium zucchini quartered and diced

**note: you can use whatever veggies you like – as long as what you chop up is the equivalent of about 5-6 cups.  – celery also goes great guns in this **

for the garnish:

1 x cup shredded purple cabbage

½ cup shredded white cabbage

¼ cup mint roughly chopped or torn

¼ cup coriander roughly chopped or torn

1 x red chilli thinly sliced

¼  cup water

**bean sprouts also are great to add – I  just didn’t have any when I was popping this recipe together**

Salt and pepper to taste

Soy Sauce or tamari

What to do:

Ok, so I’m pretty sure that the intense ingredients list has a few of you feeling a bit over whelmed already but I assure that is the hardest part.  I’m going to make the rest of this as simple as possible as once you have this recipe down pat, you can smash out variations of it in no time.

My first suggestion would be to get yourself 4 med- large bowls and a saucepan {for the rice} and divide the ingredients as I have done in the list above. Pop all the ingredients for the rice the saucepan and place this on the stovetop, start with a high heat and let the water come to the boil, then drop the heat back a bit for the rice to cook.

 Whist that is happening – in bowl #1, add all your Asian egg ingredients {bar the sesame oil} and whisk.  Get a really big fry pan {it will need high sides} or wok – whatever you have is fine, we will be using this to cook everything else.  Pop this on the stove top, medium heat. Add the sesame oil and let it heat up. Now add the entire Asian egg contents to the pan/wok. You’re basically cooking a big batch of scrambled eggs so break it up with a spatula as you are cooking it. Rinse out the bowl as you will be returning the eggs to it once they are cooked. While your eggs are cooking away – dice your bacon if you haven’t done so already and add to bowl #2.  Likewise all your chopped veggies will be in bowl #3 and your garish in bowl #4. Once your eggs are cooked through transfer them back into bowl #1. Place the frypan/wok {don’t bother washing it} back on the heat and add the swine. Cook the swine as you would cook bacon for breakfast – not too crispy, just a bit. Once done, add it back into bowl #2 and set it aside on the bench with the Asian egg. Place the pan/wok back on the heat.

At some stage don’t forget to check your rice. If your rice is cooked – remove it from the heat and tip it into a colander so the water drains from it.  Give your rice a really good rinse with hot water and leave it to drain whilst you finish off the rest of the cooking.

Tip your veggies plus ¼ cup water into the pan/wok. The idea of the water is that it allows your veggies to steam/blanch more so than fry.  I constantly turn my veggies throughout this stage so that everything cooks through evenly.  Once you are happy with your veggies and most of the water is evaporated in the cooking process drop the heat right down on your stovetop. Add the contents of bowls 1 and 2 {the egg and swine} to the veggies and mix them all together. Once your rice is drained, add the rice also and continue to stir through. It should be looking a lot like {not so} fried rice. Once everything is mixed through and warm enough to eat, remove the pan from the stove. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve into bowls and garnish – add tamari or soy sauce if desired. If you’re feeding an army {family} and this dish will, the chilli is very optional, I love it but the wee ones may not so keep it aside if need be and just add it to the dishes of those who are game.

Tips:

I find the bowls really work a treat and for first timers you can actually do all your prep before you start, then all you have to do is focus on the cooking process. Also, you’re veggies will lose a lot of water in the cooking process, if you need to drain excess water out before adding the egg and bacon, do so otherwise you’ll end up with a bit of a sloppy mess.

Nutritional Info:

For me this dish honestly has it all. You get protein from your eggs and swine and complex carbs from the rice + the added nutritional benefits of tonnes of veggies!

I hope you enjoy it x