As a kid, my family and I never lived near my grandparents, but we still managed to visit them at least once a year. We’d load up in my parents’ brown Plymouth minivan (brand-new at the time) and endure the 18-hour trek across the country, usually in the middle of the summer. My mom and dad’s parents lived relatively close to each other, so in one trip, we’d be able to see both sides of the family. My mom’s parents lived in Toledo, Ohio and my dad’s just outside of Detroit, in Monroe, Michigan (and later Ludington). I loved visiting my grandparents and found the North a nice respite from the hot and muggy summers of Mississippi. I enjoyed swimming in the Great Lakes and fishing for perch and walleye while in Michigan, and shopping and eating at fancy restaurants in (what I thought of as) the big city of Toledo. One of the fancy restaurants that I am referring to is the Chinese Restaurant, my grandfather’s favorite, just down the road from where they lived. It was tradition to order take-out from this restaurant every time we visited. My grandfather would order Egg Foo Young and my grandmother would order a cheeseburger (she wasn’t a fan of Chinese food, but was a good sport about it all). Us kids? We’d order fried rice, of course.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!I still love fried rice today and although I rarely eat at Chinese Restaurants, I love to make various fried rice dishes at home. One of my favorites is my Pork Fried Rice. It’s salty and savory, with a hint of sweetness from the addition of my homemade plum butter (recipe to come soon!). This dish comes together really quickly and can easily be made during the week; and, the leftovers make for a fantastic breakfast the next day too!
To make this dish, start by cooking the rice. I use brown rice. I prefer it’s nutty flavor and texture over white rice, but feel free to use what you like and have on hand. This recipe calls for 2 ½ cups of cooked rice, so for brown rice, that’s one cup of uncooked rice to 2 ¼ cups of water. I make my rice in a rice cooker like this one, but the stovetop works too.
While the rice is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet or wok. Finely chop one carrot and half of an onion and add it to the hot oil. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften and the onion turns translucent. Increase the heat to medium-high and add 1 pound of ground pork to the pan, breaking the pork up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Sauté the pork until cooked through and starting to brown. Drain off any fat from the pork, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced or grated ginger root and two chopped scallions to the pan. Cook for one minute, then add the cooked rice, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of plum butter (or jam) and 1 cup of frozen green peas. Sauté the rice over very high heat for 2-3 minutes, allowing some of the rice and other ingredients to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with chopped green onions. To serve, divide the fried rice among four plates and top each with a fried egg and a drizzle of this amazing hot chili oil. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: Store fresh ginger root in the freezer. It will last longer and grate easier when frozen, especially if using a microplane like this one.
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2½ cups cooked rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced (or grated) ginger root
- 2 chopped scallions (plus more for garnish)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp plum jam, butter or jelly
- 1 cup green peas
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped carrot and onion and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the ground pork to the pan, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Sauté the pork until it is completely cooked through and beginning to brown.
- Drain off fat any fat that has accumulated in the pan from the pork, then add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Cook for one minute.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the cooked rice, soy sauce, plum jam and green peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with chopped scallions.
- To serve, divide the rice evenly among four plates and top each with a fried egg and a drizzle of hot chili oil. Enjoy!
