Friday is potluck night at my house. I pretty much cook dinner every night, and there is always a little something left over from each meal. By the time the end of the week rolls around, a bunch of little containers of food stock the shelves of the refrigerator. There might be a piece of roast chicken, a cup of noodles, some green beans, a few meatballs and a whole lot of rice just waiting to be gobbled up. Most of the time I simply heat up the food and set up a help-yourself buffet-style dinner on the kitchen counter.
But last Friday, I thought I should put a little more effort and creativity into repurposing the pot of rice, pork loin and French-cut green beans that made it into the potluck rotation for the week. Fried rice seemed like the best and easiest option for a quick makeover meal. With a few refrigerator and pantry staples, simple leftovers were given a new life. The fried rice whipped up in no time and was on the table faster than any delivery from our local take-out joint.
What’s great about this recipe is that you can substitute whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand. Be sure to use cold leftover rice for this recipe. Leftover rice has had a chance to dry out in the refrigerator and will come back to life when heated and mixed with the sauce. Warm, freshly prepared rice has too much moisture and you will end up a mushy mess in the pan.
Let me know when you make this recipe. Take a picture and hashtag it #QUEENCITYKITCHEN. I can’t wait to see what you post!
Potluck Fried Rice
Makes 4 servings
Sauce
4 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs, whisked with 1 tablespoon water
1 small white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
¾ cup French-cut green beans, thawed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon coarse-ground pepper
4 cups cold cooked rice
2 cups diced pork loin
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Whisk the soy, hoisin and oyster sauces with sesame oil until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until melted. Add the eggs, and stir until just cooked through and scrambled. Transfer the eggs to a plate.
Melt another tablespoon of butter in the pan and add the onion, bell pepper and carrot. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the rice and pork, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the sauce; stir to coat. Toss in the eggs and green onions in the rice until combined and serve.