Fried Rice

I don't know anybody who doesn't like fried rice from the chinese take-out, and it's actually very simple to make at home. This is one recipe I had to modify fairly significantly for an allergen-free diet. Fish sauce and a bit of extra salt help compensate for the soy sauce, and the eggs are omitted for the main portion of the dish. It still turns out tasty, and is a very flexible recipe – I almost always have the ingredients I need to make it on hand, and it is a great way to use up leftovers. I make a huge pile of it, and although it freezes and reheats well, it never lasts long.

4 cups of rice, brown or white

3 T canola oil

1 lb of meat – chicken, pork, shrimp, beef – whatever – cut into bite-sized pieces

1 T minced garlic

1 T fish sauce

1 tsp salt

1 onion, chopped

4-5 carrots, diced (or you can just buy them frozen)

1-2 cups frozen peas (I don't measure, I just eyeball it as I'm dumping them in the pan)

Earlier in the day if possible, cook your rice according to package directions. This recipe actually works best with leftover rice, but I have used fresh, hot-from-the-rice-cooker rice and had it turn out just fine too. I use about 4 cups worth of dry, uncooked rice and that yields about twice the volume of cooked rice. You can use more or less depending on how much you have on hand and what ratio of rice to “stuff” you prefer.

In a very large skillet or wok, heat 2 T oil over high heat. Stir-fry the meat with the garlic till it is done. (If you're using pre-cooked shrimp you should skip this part. I sometimes use leftover pork or beef roast for this recipe, and you can skip this part for that too.) Remove the meat from the pan.

Add in another tablespoon of oil, and stir-fry the onion and carrots till they are tender. You want a little bit of crunch left in the carrots, though. Add in the peas and stir till they are thawed. Dump in some fish sauce and salt, and black pepper if you like. Stir in the rice, breaking up the chunks and scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back in and heat and stir the whole mess till it is heated through and you have some browned bits of rice throughout.

For the people who can eat eggs, I usually scramble a couple in a seperate pan and add them to the individual dishes before serving. We add soy sauce to the people not allergic to soy or wheat at the table and mix before eating as well. If everyone in your family can eat either of these ingredients, add it in during the cooking of the whole pot. When the egg is cooked along with the rice, it is actually a bit better because it coats the individual grains and makes a pleasing texture.