Growing up, I always thought Asian food was exotic. Something special, with unusual ingredients prepared in unique ways. One of my lab partners in med school was Asian. Like me, he was dirt poor. He often made stir-fry with whatever he could afford at the moment. In fact, one of his go to meals was a hot dog stir fry. He taught me that home Asian cooking was no different than my Midwest home cooking. You used what you had, and adapted it to the recipe that you wanted to create. In today’s environment of runaway inflation and ever escalating prices it makes sense to return to a use it up philosophy.

Today’s recipe is called Use-It-Up Fried Rice. It is fast, easy, and uses up leftovers while transforming them into a completely different meal. You can be as creative as you wish; there is no specific recipe, as flexibility is the goal. Let’s get into it!

I made rice a few days earlier and kept the leftovers in the fridge. When making fried rice, it is always better to use rice that is at least a day old, since it holds together during frying. How much rice? That is as variable as you wish.

I’m using some cooked chicken that I vacuum-sealed and froze. However, you could use any protein from a leftover roast to hamburger meat. You can use cooked meat or raw. If you use raw, you will need to adjust your stir-fry times. I’ll explain that later in this post. Here again, the quantity is based on what you have on hand.

I’m also using frozen vegetables. Why California Medley? That is what I had in the freezer. Peas and carrots also go well, but use what you have. You could also use leftover vegetables from a meal. I’ll partially cook the frozen vegetables in the microwave until they are almost done before adding them to my fried rice. I tent to like soft vegetables. If you prefer crisper vegetables just zap them for less time.

I found a lonely ear of corn in the fridge.

I removed the kernels and will add them to my stir-fry. Any vegetables that you have will do. I won’t pre-cook the corn, as I want it to add a little crunch to the dish.

I’m also using a couple eggs.

I like to stir-fry in a wok, but any large frying pan will do. Traditional stir-frying is done at high heat, but I tend to use moderately high heat (lower), as I’m not going for authenticity and I have more control over the cooking at a somewhat lower temperature. Here I’m stir frying the eggs in a bit of oil just until they are set. I’ll then remove them to be used later in the dish.

Now I’m warming up the chicken. It is already cooked. I marinated the chicken for around 10-20 minutes in some commercial stir-fry sauce. If I was using raw chicken I would use small pieces and stir fry for a bit longer, constantly keeping the chicken moving in the pan. The same goes for any other raw meat that I would substitute. Small pieces of meat cook quickly in a stir-fry environment. When cooked, I remove the meat. I’m adding cooking oil as needed to keep things from sticking.

In goes the day-old rice. I’m also adding the raw corn now. You don’t need corn; I’m just using up what I have. I added more oil here too. My goal it to heat the rice and to break up any chunks.

After the rice is heated, I return the meat to the pan and continue to stir-fry the mixture. I’ll add more oil if needed.

Now, I’ll add a splash of Soy Sauce and mix it in. Optionally, I could add garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes, ginger powder, hot sauce, or any other spice that I thought would go with the dish. Today, I’m keeping it simple and cheap. Soy Sauce is salty, so you probably won’t need any salt.

Now for some stir-fry sauce. There are many varieties. My family likes this orange stuff. Stir-fry sauce is good to have on hand, and one bottle is enough for several stir-fries. You can make your own stir-fry sauce, but today we are going for something easy and simple.

Now I add the cooked vegetables and the cooked eggs. I’ll mix them in to heat them. Dinner is served!

Clearly, this dish isn’t authentic, and I often make a tastier stir-fry by adding ingredients like fresh ginger, garlic, and green onions. However, this fried rice still tastes pretty good. The ingredient amounts are absolutely flexible. Add more rice, use less meat, use more vegetables or eggs; it is up to you.

Your leftovers become a completely new dish, and you’ll also have plenty for a future lunch or dinner. My wife and I ate the fried rice for dinner; I had some for lunch the next day, and there is still quite a bit left.

When it comes to fried rice, follow the basics, and you’ll end up with a delicious dish.

Peace

Mike