Special Egg Fried Rice

The 'special' bit is that the dish is really easy to make but versatile. (shhh, don't tell anyone!)

So, I'm currently taking a break from writing a french essay and translation in order to write another type of essay! Hopefully this one will be shorter and more interesting than the one I have to submit (2,000 words on why I chose this way of translating it and not that one). This is my easy and lazy recipe for speedy asian comfort food, because, lets face it, you won't always have chicken and the necessary veg for more complicated recipes but you will always have rice, eggs and frozen peas, with a bit of soy sauce or kept manis to add flavour.

This works best if the rice is cooked in advance and left to cool - if you can't do that then it doesn't matter but if you have a little extra time, or better yet leftovers from last night, then it stops the rice from clumping. Also, this dish can be a main to eat in front of the telly or a side as part of an elaborate banquet - it's great!

I've found that if you soak the rice in cold water for 15-30 minutes and then drain it and fill with  the usual amount of boiling water, it makes the rice much more likely to cook properly. You can speed cool the rice by spreading it, once cooked, on a baking tray as the layer is more exposed to the cold air than when it's left in a hot saucepan.

Special egg fried rice recipe

Cook the rice in advance if you can

Serve on its own or as part of a bigger meal

Serves 2 as a main, 4 or 5 as a side

Ingredients

1 mug-worth of dried rice, cooked and cooled

2 eggs

3 diced shallots or half a finely diced onion

A few handfuls of frozen peas

Kecap manis or soy sauce

Method

Heat some oil (I like to use sesame oil but sunflower/vegetable oil works just as well) in a large wok and add the shallots. They won't take long to soften.

Crack the eggs directly into the hot wok and use a spatula to scramble and cut them as they cook.

Pour in the peas and stir until they've defrosted.

In goes the rice now. Give it an initial stir to mix everything loosely and then leave it alone for 4-5 minutes, so the rice starts jumping - it stops the rice from turning to mush.

Stir everything again and pour the kecap manis in, a little at a time and throughly mixing it in between tastes.

When you feel you like the taste, season with pepper if you wish and serve up.

Simple but delicious.

You might also want to try these wok-based recipes...

Speedy egg fried rice

My favourite stir fry: chicken and cashew nuts

Mix and match stir fry suggestions