Pork Fried Rice

I thought I would post another popular Asian meal… Pork Fried Rice….we had it last night with our New Year's Celebration.

It's quick and easy... for sure...and so much better and cheaper than take-out. Better because you control the ingredients.

Prep a few things ahead and this dish is prepared in minutes…. Yes … you read that right… minutes….

My archives have a recipe for Chicken Fried Rice... the only difference with this recipe is the pork... the tips are the same .. except for the meat...

TIPS

You MUST prepare the rice ahead. It MUST be cold rice or it will be a sticky mess …. not at all like the Fried Rice you want. So make the rice the night before or make it in the morning and store it in the fridge until you come home that night and make supper.

I highly recommend that you salt the dish after you have added the soy sauce to taste… soy sauce adds quite a bit of sodium and you could end up over salting this dish if you add salt to taste before the soy sauce. At the very least add a minimum of salt to begin with.

The spice quantities are a base recipe… add more to your taste. Fried rice is actually quite bland to begin with … you add more garlic, ginger and soy sauce to your taste. We like garlic so I add a good deal more than listed below. Use the recipe as a guide.

I used three very thin sliced boneless pork chops, that I cut into small pieces… you can use thicker pork chops which are cheaper, but I do encourage you to cut the pieces as thin and small as possible… they will cook faster and spread more evenly throughout the dish.

I have never seen boneless pork chops quite as small or thin before.... they were no thicker than very thin boneless chicken breast cutlets.... if your local store doesn't have the pork that thin... you can use a regular boneless pork chop...

If you are stuck using a regular boneless pork chop.. freeze it briefly before cutting it.. it make slicing it very thin more easily.  In that case, I would cut it like you were cutting a London broil... cut it into slices then dice it up.

Some people add some diced red pepper into this… if you do… you can add it toward the end of the onion and pork sautéing … a little crunch is good.

Instead of adding soy sauce to the dish.. some people add oyster sauce.. you can add either one.

The oil can be sesame oil or olive oil.. or a combination… sesame oil has a strong taste… so if you have never cooked with it before.. add it sparingly to begin with … and add olive oil when you need more oil… unless you are sure you will like the flavor of sesame oil.

I cook the egg in a small skillet and then add it to the dish.. some people slide the rice over and cook it in the same skillet… I like have room to keep stirring it as it cooks… it’s your choice how to handle it.

I listed the number of eggs as 2-3… for the picture you see … I used 2 eggs… if you like a lot of egg in your fried rice.. use 3…

I tried to cut back on some fat in the recipe.. as I mentioned… I cooked the eggs in another skillet… I used a non-stick skillet with a light spray of butter flavored cooking oil. If you have ever watched a Chinese cook in a take-out place.. you will remember they stir very quickly with a spatula constantly, constantly pulling and flipping and “chopping” the egg… the eggs will cook quickly and should be “chopped” with a spatula into small pieces.

As with the spices… the amount of chopped onion is a base amount… and one I used.. you certainly can add more if you prefer.

This will make about 4-6 servings, depending on what else you are serving.

Try this very quick and easy recipe..







Recipe:  Pork Fried Rice

All you need:

2 cups uncooked rice (cooked and then allowed to get COLD)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 thin sliced chicken breasts, chopped and seasoned with garlic powder
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons olive or sesame oil or a combination
2-3 eggs, beaten
Butter flavored cooking oil spray
2 tablespoons soy or oyster sauce (to taste)
Salt to taste
1 cup frozen carrots and peas, thawed
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

All you have to do:

Make the rice according to package instructions. Allow rice to get COLD.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over fairly high heat.

Add the pork and stir to cook. When pork is almost done … it should take about 3-5 minutes to cook it completely through… (exact cooking time will depend on the size of your pieces) ...

Add the chopped onion (not the green onion).

Cook pork and the onion until pork is no longer pink.

Add the rice, carrots and peas and spices. Stir to evenly coat the rice with the oil. Add a drizzle of additional oil if necessary. Add the soy sauce and stir to evenly coat.

Meanwhile, spray butter flavored cooking oil in a separate small skillet. Heat the skillet over medium high heat. Add the beaten egg and cook (see tips). Make sure you have chopped it into small pieces.

Add the cooked egg pieces and green onion to the rice. Mix well.

Adjust seasonings to taste.