Veggie Fried Rice

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, divided

2 large eggs, whisked

1 bag frozen peas and carrots, microwaved

1/2 bag of frozen corn, microwaved

1 bag of frozen edamame, microwaved and shelled (if necessary)

1 small white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and black pepper

4 cups cooked and chilled rice (I prefer short-grain white rice)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 bag of kimchi

Directions

1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan* over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

2. Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, corn, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue sautéing for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice, stirring occasionally. (I like to let the rice rest for a bit between stirs so that it can crisp up on the bottom.) Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil until combined. Taste and season with extra soy sauce, if needed.

3. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Use cold rice: You’ve gotta plan ahead and use thoroughly-chilled cooked rice. A fresh batch of warm (or even lukewarm) rice will not fry well when it hits the hot pan, and will result in soggy and sticky clumps — no good. So leftover refrigerated rice is ideal! Or, if you are in a hurry (or have an impulse craving for fried rice, which I completely understand ?), just cook up a fresh batch of rice. Then spread it out on a baking sheet or another large flat pan, drape the rice with a layer of plastic wrap, then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for 10-15 minutes) until it is thoroughly chilled (not frozen).