Six Spice Fried Rice

There are a billion fried rice recipes and techniques out there. Many try to say that their way is the best or the most authentic. I'm going to tell you that my recipe is probably not authentic, nor is it the best. It is quite delicious, however, and can be made pretty damn healthy. Also this dish is CRAZY CHEAP, esp if made with frozen veggies.

The key to my recipe is in the marinade. This marinade came out of trying to make tofu taste good (I'm almost there!). It is quite simple and gives the rice a very complex flavor. Thus far I've just thrown a few spices into a bag with some spices, so it is mostly improvisation. Tonight is the first time I've actually measured the spices so I can get the ratio right on paper, but I'm sure it could use some tweaking. The ideal amount of marinade is where there is a tiny bit of liquid still at the bottom of the bag. Once the rice is cooking, instead of adding more soy sauce, you throw in whats left in the bag. I like to use about 1/2-3/4 cup of veggies and 1/4 cup of dry Bastmati rice for a single serving. This gives a nice and chunky rice, especially when broccoli is used.

While this still contains loads less salt than any meal from any fast food or chinese place, it is still pretty high in sodium, about 800mg per serving. You could reduce this by either using some oil instead of some or all of the soy sauce (though I cannot imagine fried rice without soy sauce) or maybe low sodium soy sauce.


2 servings

Marinade:
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar/honey

1 1/2 cups uncooked/thawed vegetables cut into bite sized pieces

3/4 cups (dry) Bastmati rice
4 stalks green onions, cut into inch sections
2 Tbsp oil
dried red peppers to taste (I like 1 meduim sized per serving)
1-2 eggs

A few hours before, mix the marinade in a plastic bag. Add the vegetables, mix, and let sit in the fridge for a couple hours, or as long as convenient.



Cook the rice to al dente with whatever method you like best. You want to make the rice so the individual grains stay seperate. If possible, let the rice cool for a bit before starting to fry it.

Heat the oil in your largest skillet on 60% full. Once hot, throw in the hot peppers and let darken for a couple minutes. Throw in the onions and soften them for a few minutes. Scoop out the vegetables from the bag (keeping all excess juice at the bottom of the bag) and add to the skillet. Fry them for a minute or so to give them a little color.

Add the Rice and stir. I cook this for at least 3-4 minutes before I add the juices that are in the bag. Let the excess moisture steam away, then clear away the center of the skillet. Crack the eggs directly into the skillet. Scramble them with a fork until they are half-way cooked. At this point, mix the rice in together with the egg. The heat in the rice will cook the egg the rest of the way.



When you think the rice is just about done, spread it out on the pan and let sit for at least a minute, 2 if you can spare it. This will give the grains of rice on the bottom a delicious crust. Top with some freshly ground black pepper and mix one last time. Serve.


I marinated these green beans over night and I ended up with crisp beans bursting with sweet and savory goodness.


This was made with some frozen broccoli that I thawed. The marinade made each piece of broccoli quite succulent. This was with ~3/4 cup of broccoli and 1/4 cup basrmati rice (dry).