I have always been a steamed rice kind of person. I like steamed rice - I like brown rice and white rice. And I haven't ever really been a fan of fried rice. I felt like when restaurants would serve it, that it has 2 old frozen peas in it and a dash of soy sauce and frankly cost twice as much as steamed rice to be half as good. Perhaps I felt more strongly about it then a person should towards takeout rice.
But when I had Alice a sweet woman in our neighborhood brought us a huge platter of fried rice. - and it was really really good. It was actually a hearty meal and full of vegetables and different kinds of proteins and it was really really Good.
So I asked her for the recipe, And she brought us another platter of fried rice. It was wonderful. I asked her what the secret was... and she said, Bacon and you have to have green onions. I was actually afraid to ask again, in case she brought us another platter and then it just turned into me asking her to bring over food.
I have made it many times now and I have a few of my own additions to it, but I would take it to a friend that had a baby any day - it is that good. Whenever I cook rice, I always double it, so I can have some to make fried rice. Because having this in the freezer makes for a great lunch for the little kids at home, it works amazing as a hearty snack, and after we have had it for dinner once - it makes a really special side dish for the next night.
Ingredients:
1 lb Bacon
6-8 cups Previously Cooked Rice
5 eggs to scramble
1 cup cubed ham
1 large bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
1/2 c soy sauce + 1TB sesame oil (this is the ratio - you might need to adjust to your taste and the amount of rice that you are cooking)
Directions:
I cut the bacon while it is still partially frozen. It makes it easier for me to cut the pieces really small without the bacon getting all slimy and wiggly.
I always use my big electric skillet. You don't have to use an electric skillet - but just use the biggest pan that you have that has sides.
Put the bacon in the pan and cook the bacon. I like to cook mine a little bit crisper than I would to eat with pancakes because I want it to stay crispy when I add it back to the rice dish and then add the sauce.
I remove the bacon from the pan and put it onto a paper towel to drain the excess grease.
Then I wipe out most of the bacon grease with another paper towel.
Then I crack my eggs into a bowl and whip them up to get ready to scramble them. I don't add any salt or pepper - I think the dish ends up having enough salt added to it with the bacon and the soy sauce without adding additional salt.
I scramble the eggs in what is left of the last of the bacon grease and as soon as they start to "set" I consider them done.
Then I add a large package of the frozen mixed vegetables. I like to add a lot of vegetables in this, and my kids expect it now. - the vegetables are Alice's favorite part.
We had leftover ham in the freezer that I had trimmed and saved from the Easter spiral ham. If you want to buy cubed ham and you that you can as well.
Here is my giant bag of pre-cooked rice. This one is just a day or two old - so it hasn't been in the freezer, so I just add it cold from the fridge.
If yours will have been in the freezer, you'll want to defrost it. Just the act of adding it to the pan and heating the rice will not be enough to defrost it.
Add your bacon back to the pan and stir all the ingredients together - The bacon, veggies, the ham and the eggs.
Then add all the rice - and stir the rice with the rest of the mixture.
I take 1/2 c soy sauce and I add to it the TB of sesame oil. You can add each separately, but I always get concerned that the flavors won't be incorporated evenly. So I do it this way. You'll find your way - and it will be amazing!!
Stir everything until it looks incorporated and amazing and delicious and you just want wait to eat it.
Top with sliced green onions - the bright freshness makes a ton of difference in the dish - you really do need them.
