Fried Rice

This is a pretty good fried rice recipe. Much heartier that what you find in most restaurants.

Jasmine Fried Rice
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup whole grain brown jasmine rice
pinch of salt
2 cups cold water

Overnight Brown Rice: Sauté the rice in a sauce pot with the oil, do not brown. Season with salt and pour the water into the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let set over night. In the morning, fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains (check and make sure rice is tender and had cooked completely). Cover the rice and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note:
Whole grains have a tendency to take a very long time to cook. When starting the night before and letting set and cook overnight, it makes the final preparation at meal time much easier. You can cook the brown rice before starting this meal but it can take between 40 and 60 minutes for it to cook completely. You can also soak the brown rice over night and then stove top cook or steam.

Ingredients for the fried rice:
2 tablespoons peanut or sunflower oil
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup mushrooms
¼ cup diced zucchini
1 pound cooked chicken or shrimp
¼ cup green peas
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Using a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat, add the oil, diced onions, and mushrooms, and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Add in the cooked chicken and peas and toss. Stir in the cooked rice and continue to stir and toss. Make a well in the middle of the pan and crack in the two eggs and scramble. After cooked, mix in well with the ingredients in the pan. Add in the soy sauce and butter and sauté and toss until all ingredients have been mixed thoroughly. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes:
- Fried rice cooks much better when using rice which has been cooked and cooled.
- You can set this up as a “fried rice bar” and have your guests select and choose which ingredients would like to make a personalized fried rice dinner.
- Feel free to add or take away any ingredients to the mix.