Homemade Chinese - Fried Rice

No Chinese meal is complete without a generous serving of fried rice! My friend, Marcia, typically brings this dish to our Christmas Eve dinner, and it comes from Family Fun. It is very easy to make, and you can customize it to your personal liking using chicken, pork, or tofu. I usually make it as a side dish and keep it simple with no added meat, but if you want to make it more filling, add about 1/2 pound (8 oz) of your preferred meat (cut into small bite size pieces and cooked through before adding). Make sure you make your white rice ahead of time and refrigerate for several hours before using. It has to be cold before using in this recipe. Fried Rice
recipe adapted from Family Fun

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
1 small red bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 small can baby corn, drained and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced ginger root
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
6 cups cold cooked white or brown rice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 cup bean sprouts, roughly chopped

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the red pepper, celery, and ginger in it for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, scallions, and baby corn and cook for 30 seconds more, then stir in the rice and meat (chicken, pork or tofu), if using. Drizzle on the soy sauce and sesame oil.

Toss the rice well and cook it for 2 more minutes or until heated through. Gently stir in the bean sprouts. Serve at once, or cool and reheat within 48 hours. Serves 8 as a side dish.

This recipe can be easily halved. Enjoy!

Stay tuned...more homemade Chinese coming up.