(I'm going to presume that no one's actually bored enough to read this, so instead of ranting about myself, I'm going to post a recipe!)

Yummy (Kimchi) Fried Rice:

Fried Rice is a dish that's made using leftovers, so really, almost anything goes.  Below, I'm posting my version of the recipe, which includes stuff most other people would probably not consider.  So, anything marked (optional) doesn't need to go in, but you ought to have at least a vegetable or two to make the rice more colorful!

• 2-4 cups old, dry Rice (If you make rice two days beforehand, and store it in the fridge in a tupperware, it will reach the perfect consistency.  By and large, the drier your rice, the better if will taste in the end)
• 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced (optional)
• 2 Eggs, slightly scrambled
• 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• One or More or All of the Following, chopped: 1 Carrot, 3/4 cup Broccoli, 8 oz Snow Peas, 8 oz Edamame (soy beans, removed from their pods), 1/2 cup Peas, 1/2 cup Eggplant (best if sliced and fried/baked beforehand)
  
• 1/2 cup Kimchi, chopped, reserving some of the juice (optional)
• Approx. 8-12 oz. cooked meat or meat stand-in (Tofu works really well), chopped: can be Beef, Chicken, Pork, whatever.  I like using Canadian Bacon myself (optional)
• Approx. 1/4 cup Soy sauce (this ultimately depends on your personal taste)
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Gochugaru (Korean Red Chili Flakes) (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
  
• 3-4 Green Onions, minced, for garnish
  

1. In a large frying pan, heat Vegetable Oil on med-high, and add Onions (and Garlic, if using).  Cook until just about translucent
2. Add Eggs, using spatula to cut eggs into small pieces as they cook.
3. (Add Kimchi, and cook until most of the juice has evaporated).  Add vegetables, and cook, stirring with spatula until colors brighten (if more oil is needed, add in very sparing amounts!)
4. Add Meat/Meat Stand-in and cook until warmed.
5. Crumble rice into pan with your hands - the looser the grains, the better.  Fold into meat and vegetables until evenly dispersed.
6. Slowly pour in the Soy Sauce (using one of the shoyu dispensers you find in Japanese restaurants is really the best for this, but you can also use a liquid cup measure), going clockwise around the edge of the frying pan.  The ideal pouring speed for shoyu is to make three revolutions around the pan, and still have some left over. 
   
7. Fold the rice from the edge to the center, working your way around the pan until the rice is an even light brown color, sprinkling in the Pepper (and Gochugaru, if using).  If you want to add more shoyu, you can, but I recommend letting everyone decide the level of saltiness for themselves.
8. Sprinkle Sesame Oil on top of rice, and turn off heat.
9. Spoon Fried Rice into a large serving bowl, and garnish with Green Onions.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! :3

music: Yo-Yo Ma & Friends: Vassourinhas tags: intro post, recipe: fried rice