A side dish, ala Benihana, this recipe for Easy Pork Fried Rice makes great use of left-over rice and pork but can also be made with chicken or shrimp.
The making of Easy Pork Fried Rice
Who loves Fried Rice raise your hand.
Who loves Easy Pork Fried Rice? Keep your hand up.
My family loves my Easy Pork Fried Rice recipe because I learned the secret to great fried rice at a place that, in my opinion, serves delish fried rice, Benihanas. Benihana is one of those places where chefs throw their knives around, as well as salt and pepper shakers as they cook for you at a community table, and can almost always get that shrimp tail into their hat, or pocket. It's just fun.
But they do make good fried rice side.
I've poked and prodded at my cookbooks and online for Pork Fried Rice recipes. It seems they all have the idea that this should be the main course, with many ingredients and steps. I like my Easy Pork Fried Rice as a side dish. Generally alongside a simple protein, like Chinese Style Baked Chicken Thighs.
And it's a great use of left-overs.
As a matter of fact, the rice should be left-over. Left-over cold rice that is at least a day old.
This particular rendition was made with leftover spareribs from a dinner party where I made The Bestest Most Tenderest Ribs. I always make too much food when I'm feeding others as I want to make sure no one is leaving hungry. So I took the ribs, cut the meat off, diced it up, and combined it with some left-over rice I had in the refrigerator. Add some eggs, peas, green onions, and BUTTER, yes, this is one of those things I learned at Benihana, butter is a key ingredient for my favorite Easy Pork Fried Rice. Butter and soy sauce.
You could make this with any left-over pork, pork roast, pork chop, pork tenderloin. If you don't have pork, you could dice some left-over chicken up. OR if you have left-over nothing, cut up some raw shrimp; sauté it and make Shrimp Fried Rice.
I only use frozen peas as I HATE frozen peas and carrots. I don't like the carrots at all. If you like them, or like the looks of them, use them.
I can pick them out 🙂
Easy Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil I like grapeseed
- 1 egg beaten (or more if you like a lot of egg)
- 3 scallions also known as green onion, green tops chopped, white bottoms sliced, separated
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ¾ cup diced pork or chicken or shrimp
- 2 cups day-old cooked rice you could use brown, white, jasmine, just make sure it is cooked ahead of time, covered and refrigerated, best at least overnight, but OK a few days old
- ½ cup frozen peas or peas and carrots if you choose, unthawed
- 2 - 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper and additional salt as desired
Instructions
- Mix the chopped green onion tops with the egg, mix well. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.
- Heat a wide skillet or wok over medium heat; add the oil, when hot, add ⅓ of the butter along with the egg mixture, scrabble until you have what resembles large-curd scrambled eggs. Move them aside, add the meat, stir-fry until hot, then add another third of the butter along with the rice; stir-fry until the rice is hot and the kernels are separated; season with a few shakes of soy sauce (about 1 - 2 tablespoons); mix well, then add the peas and green onion bottoms along with the remaining butter. Stir well and add soy sauce to taste; allow to cook, without stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a side.
Leave a Reply