PR food

Brad usually asks for pasta the evening before a race, but last Friday we had fried rice instead. Brad liked this fried rice so much he ate at least half of it. Then he busted out a 45-second PR at Great Meadow. So I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of pre-race meals consisting of fried rice for the next month. Mom says she "could eat this every night," too, so I guess that's okay.

Veggie Fried Rice

Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt via Serious Eats

I like Trader Joe’s Jasmine Rice for fried rice. You can either  (1) cook the rice fresh, then spread it out on a baking sheet, and let it cool for about 5 minutes, or (2) cook the rice and store it in the fridge for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Either way, before you cook the rice, rinse it off for a minute with cold tap water, while shaking the rice in a fine-mesh strainer. If you’re using a rice cooker, 2 rice cooker cups (~1½ cups) of raw rice will make a little more than the 4 cups cooked rice you need for this recipe.

4 cups (~24 ounces/700 grams) cooked white rice (see note)
4 tablespoons sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil, divided
1 large (~8 ounces/225 grams) onion, finely chopped
3 scallions or a handful of fresh chives, sliced thin on the bias
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (~4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
freshly ground white pepper
2 large eggs
kosher salt
½ bag (8 ounces) frozen vegetables (I used Trader Joe’s Soycutash)

    1. If you’re using leftover rice, use your hands to break it up as much as you can into a bowl.
    2. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a large wok over medium-high heat until very hot. (I have made this a number of times in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, but it really is a struggle to fit everything in and get it all cooked properly, and you shouldn't have a nonstick skillet over really high heat anyway. If you think you’re going to make a lot of fried rice or other Chinese food, get yourself a decent wok.) Add 1 cup of the rice and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is pale brown, toasted, and slightly chewy, about 3 minutes. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Repeat the process, 1 cup of rice at a time, until all of the rice is fried.
    3. Return all of the rice to the wok, and press it up the sides, leaving a cooking space at the bottom. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the space, and add the onion and scallions or chives. Cook, stirring, until lightly softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds only. Stir the rice into the onion, scallions, and garlic. Stir the tamari and sesame oil into the mixture. Season with a few grinds of white pepper.
    4. Press the rice up the sides of the wok, again leaving a cooking space at the bottom. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the space. Crack the eggs into the oil, and season with a pinch of salt. Scramble the eggs, breaking them up into small bits. Combine the eggs with the rice mixture.
    5. Stir in the frozen vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are thawed and warmed. Serve promptly. Serves 3–4.