Fried Rice

Looking for a side dish to complement teriyaki chicken last week, I created this recipe for fried rice. The celery and cabbage are seasonal vegetables that provide a nice bite in contrast to the soft rice. The combination of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce gives this recipe a great Asian taste.

I use white rice in this recipe, which is considered a safe starch by quite a few diet and health authors such as Dr. Mercola, Chris Kresser (author of Paleo Cure), and Paul Jaminet (author of The Perfect Health Diet). My favorite way to prepare white rice is to cook it with butter and homemade chicken bone broth, as that makes the rice more nutritious and gives it an excellent flavor.

Fried Rice

Serves 4-6

• 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled (I used nutrient-dense white rice) 

• 2 tsp fish sauce

• 2 Tb gluten-free tamari soy sauce

• 2 tsp sucanat

• 1 Tb refined coconut oil

• 1 medium-sized white onion, chopped

• 2 stalks of celery, sliced on the diagonal

• 1/2 pound green cabbage (about 1/4 of a large head of cabbage), sliced and chopped roughly

• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed

• 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, pressed

• 2 eggs, preferably from pastured hens

• 1/2 Tb refined coconut oil

• celtic sea salt

1. The rice in this recipe needs to be cooked ahead of time and allowed to cool (or even refrigerated). If hot, freshly cooked rice is used, it will become rather mushy in this recipe.

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, and sucanat. Stir occasionally while the rest of the ingredients are prepared until the sucanat is dissolved.

3. Chop the onion. I use my favorite knife to prepare the veggies for this recipe.

4. Melt 1 Tb refined coconut oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. I use a deep 12-inch stainless steel skilletfor this recipe, but cast iron should work well, too.

5. Saute the onion in the oil for about 10 minutes over medium heat. A bamboo spatula works perfectly for this. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Don't stir it too often, so that the onion can undergo some delicious caramelization (as evidenced by it browning).

6. While the onion cooks, chop the celery and cabbage.

7. Add the celery to the skillet and saute 5 minutes.

8. Add the cabbage to the skillet and saute for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little more salt.

9. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Use a fork to beat the eggs lightly.

10. Use a garlic press to press the garlic and ginger. With my garlic press, it is not necessary to peel either the garlic or ginger; it presses them just fine and leaves the skin behind.

11. Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

12. Add the cooled rice, drizzle with the soy sauce mixture, and fold it all together to combine. Cook for a few minutes to warm the rice.

13. Push the rice and veggies to one side of the skillet. On the other side of the skillet, melt 1/2 Tb refined coconut oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, pour the eggs into the oil. Let the eggs cook until they start to set, then lightly chop and fold them while they continue to cook. Cook the eggs until they are almost done and still look a little wet. Turn off the heat.

14. Stir the eggs into the rice/veggie mixture.

15. Serve and enjoy! This fried rice makes an excellent side dish for teriyaki chicken. Egg drop soup would be another good addition to the meal.

16. Store leftovers in the fridge. Re-warmed and topped with a couple fried eggs, they make a great breakfast.  

What is your favorite homemade Asian-inspired meal?

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