Rainbow Veg Egg-Fried Rice
Egg-fried rice. A classic leftovers meal. Sometimes I deliberately make too much rice just so we can make egg-fried rice the next day.
But my egg-fried rice has a twist. No guesses for anyone who’s been on this blog for any length of time: it was always going to be veggies, wasn’t it?
But look how pretty!
This egg-fried rice is not only colourful and attractive, it is also delicious, filling and packed with flavour.
Recently, I found my thoughts wandering while cooking a cup of rice for our classic Friday night dinner of rice and beans. Once a week, we try to remind ourself how so much of the world eats every day, and it really is a difficult thing for me, who craves variety. The kids and my husband however, love it. Rice and beans goes down seriously quickly and easily in our house.
But since we have this meal every week, I found myself wondering why on earth I was cooking one meal’s worth of rice each week, and sometimes cooking more for another meal in the week, too. After all, to save money I was soaking and cooking a huge batch of dried black beans once every couple of months and freezing them in one-tin’s-worth-amounts in jars to defrost each Friday or for other bean-based meals. So why couldn’t I do it with rice and save myself the overnight soaking and cooking each week?
So for a few months now, I’ve been cooking double, triple or even quadruple batches of soaked brown or Basmati rice. After cooking, I serve what we will eat that night and quickly cool the rest of the rice under cold water. I then drain and portion it out into large jars or freezer-safe container and freeze straight away. Why? Well, it turns out, the potential health hazards of pre-cooked rice are not solely about the re-heating of it, but mostly with the cooling down process. Cool the cooked rice down quickly, get into the fridge or freezer quickly, defrost in the fridge overnight when you want it again, and make sure you reheat it thoroughly. Follow these simple steps and you can have cooked rice on hand for yummy meals like this one!
So next time you make rice for dinner, make a double batch, cool it down quick and stick it in the fridge overnight so you can enjoy this super quick, delicious, veggie-packed meal as a great last-minute budget family dinner or a hearty lunch.
A classic budget leftovers meal packed with vegetables and full of healthy wholesome ingredients. Easy and very quick to make.
- 1 tbsp coconut or olive oil
- 1 onion (or 2 shallots), finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped leaves + finely chopped stems
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1/2 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 100 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen defrosted sliced bell peppers (about 2 peppers)
- 150 g (1 cup) sweetcorn (frozen or tinned)
- 150 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen defrosted peas or broad (fava) beans
- 400 g (2 cups) cooked cooled brown or Basmati rice
- 3-4 medium eggs, beaten
- optional add ins: cooked bacon, avocado, sliced spring onions (scallions)
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Fry the onion in the oil over medium heat for 2 mins to soften slightly. Add the garlic, coriander stems, ginger and chilli, if using. Chuck in the tamari, tomatoes, peppers, corn and peas and fry for a further 3-4 mins until cooked. Add in the cooked rice and cook for 3 mins or so until heated through, then push everything to one side of the pan and scramble the eggs on the other side. Take off the heat and mix the eggs in with the rest of the ingredients to combine. Serve immediately (do not reheat the rice again) topped with the coriander leaves and any extras like cooked bacon or avocado, if you like.
