This is the story of a Chinese girl who made an Irishman’s fried rice recipe. You see the irony in that, right? It’s a simple tale with a happy ending, which is why I’m sharing it with you.
The girl was watching one of her favorite YouTube channels just before bed and was intrigued with a dish featured on the show: Ultimate Fried Rice. It looked quite tasty and so she recreated it, with a slight twist, a few days later. The attempt was a success and so both the girl and her husband enjoyed it for dinner (and breakfast the next morning). And that’s all there is to it.
If you’ve ever made fried rice, you know a recipe isn’t necessary. Sauté any assortment of vegetables and/or meat, add some rice and seasonings, et voilà, your meal is done. But I always think it’s interesting to see how others interpret the same dish, which is how I came to try my hand at Donal’s fried rice and this vegetarian version. No two compositions are alike – and that’s the beauty of cooking.
Culinary inspiration can come from anywhere – even YouTube. Where do you find the recipes you cook?
Recipe adapted from Donal Skehan.
- 2½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups brown jasmine rice
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 lap cheong, diced
- 1 cup diced ham
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and rice. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. If you have time, chill the rice for a few hours.
- In a 10-inch nonstick fry pan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add eggs and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, until set, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the egg "pancake" to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut the pancake in half and then into ½"-wide strips. Set aside.
- In a large fry pan, cook lap cheong over medium-high heat until fat renders, 3-5 minutes.
- Add ham, garlic, ginger and serrano pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
- Add green onions, carrots and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and cook for 1 minute.
- Add peas and prepared rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold in the sliced eggs and serve.
This fried rice looks delicious! I love how fried rice can be a meal in itself. I love Jasmine rice but have never had brown Jasmine. I’ve got to give it a try.