Fried Rice

By Paul Briand

Fried Rice is one of my favorite cravings. There are times when I just have to have ... have to have, mind you ... some take Chinese take-out. And the collection of take-out food always includes Fried Rice.

But I haven't found the perfect take-out Fried Rice, so I did some research and tried my hand at my own.

This involves cooking the rice in advance to allow it to cool: It makes it that much easier to actually fry it without overcooking it. I put my pot of rice out on the porch in sub-freezing temps to cool it down.

Ingredients
1/3 cup peanut oil
1/3 pound cooked ham (or substitute with pork or chicken)
1 onion, diced
Pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
Package of frozen vegetables (I used string beans, peas and carrots)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups cooked brown rice (read the package carefully to determine how much uncooked rice will yield)

Directions
1. Heat a wok over high heat and when hot add 1 tablespoon of the oil;
2. Add the ham (or alternative) and cook until lightly browned;
3. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until onion starts to become translucent;
4. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion and stir-fry about 30 seconds;
5. Add the frozen vegetables. Cook until just defrosted but still crisp. Transfer all contents of wok to a large bowl;
6. Return work to the heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Stir the eggs constantly and cook until cooked through but still moist, then transfer egg to the bowl and stir into the mixture;
7. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add cooked rice to the pan, season with pepper and stir-fry the rice to coat evenly with oil. Stop stirring, and then let the rice cook undisturbed until its gets slightly crispy, about 2 minutes. Stir the rice again, let cook another 2 minutes;
8. Transfer rice to the bowl. Stir all the ingredients together;
9. Transfer the entire mixture back to the wok and heat through. Top with garnish -- I used cashews and chow mein noodles -- and serve.
Serves 6.