Easy Fried Rice

Shrimp fried rice with edamame

This recipe makes a great lunch but requires some planning ahead. Make extra rice for dinner and then you can put it into the fridge overnight and make fried rice for lunch the next day!

2 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 tsp. butter
2 eggs
Black pepper
2 cups cooked COLD white rice
1 medium carrot, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced (including green part)
1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced (more if you love fresh ginger flavor)
1 large garlic clove, minced (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 cup cooked edamame or cooked green peas (optional)
Soy Sauce (about 1/4 cup or more)

Crack eggs into a small bowl, add one to two grinds of black pepper. With a small whisk or a fork, whip the eggs until smooth and "scrambled."

Heat a small non-stick pan with small dab of butter. When hot, pour a small amount of egg the pan and move the egg to cover the bottom of the pan.

Egg should cook quickly and look like a large pancake. Turn over the egg and finish cooking egg just until it is no longer glossy.

 Remove egg onto a plate. Repeat with the remainder of the egg until it is cooked, adding more butter, if needed. Roll up the egg "pancake" like a crepe and slice into thin strips. Set egg aside.

Heat a large wok pan over high heat, adding 1/2 Tbsp. oil. When oil is hot, add the carrot and stir fry for about 1 minute or until it is tender, but not completely cooked.

Add green onion, ginger and garlic to the pan and stir fry about 30 more seconds.

Drizzle another tablespoon of oil around the sides of the pan. Add the cooked rice to the pan and break it apart, stirring to move it constantly and mixing the vegetables together to distribute throughout the rice.

Add more oil by drizzling it around the side of the wok so it is heated quickly. Continue to stir the rice mixture until it is heated and begins to brown. Rice will likely stick to the bottom of the pan, but don't worry about that. It adds flavor.

Once the rice is heated and fried slightly, add soy sauce by sprinkling it all over the top of the rice and stirring rice to distribute it. The soy sauce should be enough to help bring up the rice bits sticking to the pan, but not so much as to make the fried rice too salty.

Add the cooked egg and edamame or peas if using and give the rice a good stir. Taste the rice and add more soy sauce if needed.

Remove from heat and place fried rice into a bowl or onto a plate. Serve with additional soy sauce.

• This recipe will make 2 side dishes or 1 large serving for a hungry person. To make it more hearty, add cooked and diced chicken or pork or shrimp when you add the rice to the wok.
• All amounts are estimates -- there is no magic to the amounts indicated. Add more or less, based on your individual tastes and how many veggies you want in your fried rice.

Fried rice with nothing extra added.