Leftover rice in the fridge? Then it’s time to whip up some of your favorite Chinese restaurant’s fried rice all in your own kitchen.
Fried rice is one of the best ways to quickly use up yesterday’s rice. For one, it takes only a handful of minutes to make. And two, it tastes so good that it will be in your stomach before too long. Good fried rice is never given the time to hang out with those other leftovers rotting away in the back of your fridge. (Sorry if that gives you a bad image. But we all know that wasted food is never good food.)
For my fried rice, I’ve added some marinated tempeh and portobello mushrooms for a “meaty” vegetarian delight. I speckled in some of that essential green color with a few cups of napa cabbage and some sprinkled chopped chives on top. The end result is a healthy brown rice dish that breathes of gingery, sesame, Asian flavor. Eat up, or save some for later, serving any leftovers warm or at room temp.
Fried Rice with Tempeh
(Serves 5)
For the tempeh:
- -8 0z. tempeh, cubed
- -2 tsp. sesame oil
- -3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- -4 cloves garlic, minced
- -2 tbsp. ginger, minced
- -1 tsp. vinegar
- -1 tsp. honey
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and let marinade for at least 2 hours.
For the rice:
- -3 cups cooked brown rice
- -1 large onion, chopped
- -6 oz. portobello mushrooms, sliced
- -3 cups napa cabbage, chopped
- -1 Tbsp. olive oil
- -1 tsp. sesame oil
- -1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- -Scallions or chives, chopped, for topping
- -Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, with a dash of salt and pepper, and saute 5 minutes. Add tempeh plus marinade. Saute 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms begin to become tender, 3-4 minutes. Add cabbage, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Cook until cabbage is wilted. Stir in rice, and saute another 2-3 minutes, until rice is heated through.
7 Comments
Simply Life
February 1, 2011 at 7:07 amoh what a great use for leftovers!!
Mari
February 1, 2011 at 1:52 pmYums that looks amazing!
The Candid RD
February 1, 2011 at 7:19 pmThis sounds amazing!! I am actually doing a demo with tempeh next week, but I’m making tempeh sloppy joes. I may have to try this sometime and see what the customers think. I love getting people to enjoy the taste of tempeh.
Heather
February 2, 2011 at 8:41 amWe’ve made fried brown rice twice in the past month – so delicious and it does not take long at all. As you said, it is a great way to use up any rice or veggies you have in the fridge.
Angela (the diet book junkie)
February 2, 2011 at 9:26 pmGrace, where do you get all these great ideas for food? especially for sauces and marinades, i’m completely lost…. 🙂
Grace Dickinson
February 2, 2011 at 10:12 pmHah, thanks Angela…I’m not sure, lately I’ve just been messing around in the kitchen a lot, immersing myself with cooking shows/books/literature/etc. to try and inspire myself. I do sometimes find myself running out of ideas of what I want to make though, but that’s just part of the process!
Jesse Y. Dickson
February 3, 2011 at 11:56 pmIve always thought of fried rice as the quintessential comfort food..Think of it – a bowl of steaming white rice cooked to just the right consistency filled with bits of meat and vegetable. No wonder fried rice is one of the worlds most popular rice dishes!..For the home cook the beauty of fried rice is that it is very adaptable.