Easy Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe
Fried rice is a delicious and simple way to use up any leftover rice you have in the fridge. Be it takeout rice, or the remains of last night's side dish, you only need a few ingredients to transform it from sad leftovers to something new and satisfying. Moreover, you can use either white or brown rice, long grain or short.
This easy vegetable fried rice, for instance, calls for just a handful of veggies (onion, carrot, and frozen peas), an egg, and a few fridge door staples (sesame oil and soy sauce). You can have it as a simple dinner, and it's even quick enough as a work-from-home lunch between Zoom meetings.
Feel free to use this uncomplicated recipe, courtesy of Alexandra Shytsman of the plant-based recipe blog The New Baguette, as a template for sneaking in other vegetables, too. Think broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, frozen corn, or green beans, all of which would work wonderfully in this easy vegetable fried rice recipe.
Gather the ingredients for this easy vegetable fried rice
To start, you'll need some cooked rice. It's best to use leftover/day-old rice since it's drier than freshly-made rice, thus giving you a fluffier result. You'll also need cooking oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, an egg, chopped carrots and onions, and frozen peas.
Sauté the vegetables
Begin by getting your carrots and onions in a large skillet or wok, and cooking them for a few minutes, just until the onions are translucent.
Add the rice and peas
Next, add the rice, peas, and sesame oil. Stir to combine, and continue cooking until the rice is warmed through and starting to crisp up.
Prep the egg
While the rice is cooking, combine the egg with a tablespoon of soy sauce and beat it with a fork to combine.
Season the rice
Push the contents of the skillet to one side and pour the egg/soy sauce mixture into the empty space. Immediately start stirring the egg with a spatula on that side of the skillet until small curdles form. Then combine the rice with the egg and season everything with another splash of soy sauce, which really helps provide that salty, classic fried rice flavor. Turn the heat off, then dive right in to this delicious, easy, and fulfilling vegetable fried rice.
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups cooked white rice, chilled
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and salt, and cook until they're starting to soften, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, peas, and sesame oil. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the rice is heated through and starting to get crispy, and be sure not to stir the rice more than once or twice.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
- Push the contents of the skillet to one side and pour the egg mixture into the empty space. Immediately start stirring the egg with a spatula on that side of the skillet until small curdles form. Then combine the rice with the egg.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce to the skillet and stir to incorporate. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Garnish with sesame seeds before serving, if desired.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 261 |
| Total Fat | 10.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 40.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 34.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.2 g |
| Sodium | 502.1 mg |
| Protein | 6.3 g |
