Fried rice is one of those comforting dishes that is best made with leftover rice and things from your frig. It can be vegetarian or can have meat, poultry, and or eggs added; you can adapt it to your liking. It’s pretty healthy and can be warmed up for lunch the next day. Our favorite version is made with brown rice, lots of veggies, chicken and eggs. I will provide the list of ingredients for our version, but know that these are only ideas to get you started making your own favorite mixture. And we eat it topped with sriracha, for a spicy kick.

Fried Rice

6 cups leftover rice (I use brown rice, but white is fine)

2 boneless chicken breasts, diced fine

2 eggs

1-2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

1/2 of a red pepper, finely diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1/2 c. or more of finely shredded cabbage or sliced Brussels sprouts

1/2 c. frozen peas

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch knob ginger, peeled and minced

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 c. cilantro leaves

2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for sautéing

I try to cook the rice the day before and chill it in the frig. Prep the ingredients: dice the chicken. Dice the carrots, peppers, and cabbage or Brussels sprouts and separate each in a pile on a plate, so that they can be added at different times. Prepare the cilantro leaves and green onion and set together in a bowl. Grate or mince the garlic and ginger together into a bowl.

Heat a large wok or non-stick skillet over medium/high heat. Add a tablespoon or so of oil and sauté the chicken for several minutes, until no longer pink, stirring as needed. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and remove from the wok. Between each cooking of the ingredients, I carefully take a paper towel around the bottom to clean out any residual so that the next items don’t burn. Swirl in a teaspoon of oil and add the eggs, breaking them up and stirring to scramble. Flip them over and finish cooking; remove to a plate and finely dice. Add another tablespoon of oil and put in the carrots and peppers, cooking and stirring for a few minutes. Add the cabbage. After a few more minutes, stir in the ginger and garlic. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for a minute and then remove the vegetable mixture to a plate.

Add a tablespoon of oil to the wok and add the rice, chopping and stirring to get rid of the clumps. Cook for about 10 minutes to dry out the rice. Continue chopping and stirring, being careful not to burn the rice on the bottom. Near the end of the 10 minutes, add the soy sauce, always stirring. Finally, if you want, throw in a little pat of butter for flavor. Add back into the rice, the chicken, the veggie mixture, and the frozen peas. Stir together for about a minute to heat and then remove from the heat. Stir in the toasted sesame oil, the eggs and the cilantro and green onions. Pass sriracha when serving. Makes 4-6 servings.