Friday Fried Rice

I love these kinds of recipes.   You know the type I mean . . .  the kind where you just go to the fridge and see what you have in there and then throw it all together to come up with something tasty?  Yeh . . .  I love those.  I used to love watching Ready Steady Cook when I first moved over here to the UK.




it was a show where celebrities brought in a bag of groceries that came to a certain amount of money, and celebrity chef's had to create whatever they could from what was in the bag in 20 minutes time of cooking.



I love that kind of cooking.  I love to take whatever I have to hand and then create something delicious out of it.  This is one of those  throw what you like into the pan kind of recipes. Whatever vegetables you have in the fridge that you are craving or wanting to use up.    Today I used cabbage, carrots, swede, cauliflower, onions and peppers. Other days it might be something else. It all depends on what I have and how I feel.  I also make this when I have lefover meat to use up.



You can use any meat that you like or have to hand.  Even hot dogs. (Trust me when I tell you they taste pretty good this way.) I used chicken today, but you can use pork or beef or lamb, even cookd shrimp. It also uses a large package of cooked rice, so that makes it even easier. Or you could use leftover rice if you have any in the fridge.



Just a few spices and condiments, some frozen peas, and a quick stir around the pan and presto chango! You got a delicious meal that everyone likes!

Well everyone in my house at any rate!



*Friday Fried Rice*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is one of those meals that uses up whatever vegetables and meat you have in the fridge that need using up, and tastes great! I love little bit of this and little bit of that meals!

a bit of oil
2 cups of chopped cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef)
4 cups of chopped raw vegetables (cabbage, carrots, swede, peppers, onions, cauliflower,
broccoli, courgettes, bean sprouts, beans . . . in other words just about any vegetable you have to hand)
1 family pack of cooked rice (one that gives 4 servings)
a large handful of frozen peas, or frozen peas and corn
2 TBS dark soy sauce
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp chinese five spice
a good dollop of hoisin sauce (according to your taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet (with a lid) over medium high heat. Add a splash of oil and once it heats up toss in the meat and the garlic. Cook and stir until heated through. Add the chopped raw vegetables. I chop the ones that take longer to cook smaller and leave the ones which cook fairly quickly in larger chunks. Sprinkle with 1 TBS of the soy sauce.the hoisin sauce, and the chinese five spice, stirring it all through. Cover with the lid and cook over medium low heat, until the vegetables are crispy tender. Remove the lid and add the rice from the package, crumbing it in and stirring it all together. Add the peas and the remaining soy sauce. Cover and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Note, you can add cooked shrimps if you want, and cooked scrambled egg as well. Add it at the end and just heat through as both of these would turn rubbery if you over cook them.