Simple Fried Rice

The beauty of fried rice is that it doesn't have to answer to any standard or higher authority - nobody can tell you that it's done wrong. Technically you also need no recipe for it, but a starting point always helps.

This is a quick way of making this dish that works well for me, in part because it calls for "exactly what's in my fridge", which is often ... not much.

You can add anything you want to it and see how it comes out. It also tastes great by itself, courtesy of a few spices.

So, here's the scrounging plan:

Basics

• Some Cooked Rice.
  Any rice would do if you're OK eating it. I use white Basmati (0.5 cup rice + 1.5 cups water, simmered covered until absorbed). I usually throw a little Ghee in it.
• 1 Onion (large or a couple small)
  Diced, chopped, or cut into rose petals if that's what you like.
• Shortening of choice (butter, ghee, etc).
  I use ghee when I can, and coconut oil is quite good too.

Optional but helpful:

• 1 Potato (large or a couple small)
  Chopped really small. I use one of these to chop this and the onion in seconds.
• 1 Egg
• Random Vegetables (eg peas, edamame, corn, beans, scallions, etc) - whatever you have. The only concern with these is that they can add too much water, especially if they are frozen - drain or dry them a little, or just cook everything a little longer.
• Meat, Tofu, etc can also be added
• Spices:
  • Salt
  • Pepper (fresh ground ideally)
  • Turmeric
  • Cumin

Execution Plan

1. Cook the rice - that will probably take 10-15 minutes so you'll have time to do everything else
2. Heat some spices in the butter/ghee on a large pan. I grind pepper and throw in cumin and turmeric to taste. (More cumin than turmeric, ideally).
3. Chop the potato and add to frying pan, fry on medium-high heat, turning nearly constantly. 3-5 minutes should be plenty - it'll start to look a little like hash-browns.
4. Add salt and maybe more spices!
5. Chop the onion and add to potato, fry a bit more.
6. If using other veggies, you can add them now or later.
7. Rice should be ready by now, toss it in and fry some more, turning constantly.
8. When you feel that things are about done, crack an egg into the mixture and toss feverishly so it is evenly combined into the mix. The egg will cook in seconds, and you're done.