Ultimate leftover fried rice

I love fried rice and you can really pump it up with healthy vegetables when you make it at home. I've used leftover cooked ham in this version, but you can really add whatever you like to it.

Credit: Donal's Kitchen Hero

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

The dish works best when using cooked rice from cold, so it’s an ideal time to use up your leftovers instead of cooking rice from fresh. However, cold cooked rice does tend to clump together, so place it in a large bowl, drizzle with a little oil and break it up with a fork before using.  

Ingredients

• 3 tsp (15 ml)  sunflower oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely grated
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• Bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 red capsicum (pepper), deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp (15 ml) soy sauce
• 3 tsp (15 ml) Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
• 150 g (5 oz) cooked ham hock meat, chopped
• 150 g ( 5oz) frozen peas
• 300 g (11 oz) leftover cooked rice, cold
• 2 large free-range eggs, lightly whisked

Instructions

1. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the garlic, chilli and ginger for 1 minute. Add the spring onions, carrots and capsicum and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes.

2. Stir through the sesame oil, soy sauce and Thai fish sauce over the heat for 1 minute. Add the ham and peas and gently mix through. Add the cooked rice to the pan and mix to combine with the vegetables and ham.

3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the whisked egg. Allow to set briefly, then, working quickly, stir the egg and quickly incorporate the rice from the sides until everything is combined. Cook for 2 minutes then serve straight away in a big bowl for a quick and tasty dinner.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

The dish works best when using cooked rice from cold, so it’s an ideal time to use up your leftovers instead of cooking rice from fresh. However, cold cooked rice does tend to clump together, so place it in a large bowl, drizzle with a little oil and break it up with a fork before using.