Every time I make fried rice, I’m shocked at how very easy it is to cook! And it’s finished, from stovetop to table, in about 10 minutes. A miracle of modern cooking, indeed!
Tonight, I brought out my most wok-like frying pan, heated some Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice in the microwave, popped four spring rolls into the oven, and got to work. Once again, I used Christy Jordan’s recipe from her Southern Plate Classics magazine special (she now has it posted on her website, as well!), and once again, it was simple and quick, and turned our kitchen into a Chinese restaurant in short order!
As usual, I made a few modifications to her recipe. Our grocery store was fresh out of instant brown rice (who ever heard?), so I used two packages of white Ready Rice instead. Also, as you might have gathered, I substituted seitan for chicken as usual, and this time I omitted the eggs, primarily because I didn’t have any on hand. And for one final substitution, I used a small can of sweet peas instead of the frozen variety, and found the end result no worse for wear. I found that when using the frozen peas, I always found myself with about half a bag left over – which would be fine, if I remembered to use the remainder in a timely fashion, but I never did, which meant we had half-bag after half-bag stuck at the back of the freezer, forgotten until they were well and truly freezer-burned. The small can? A perfect size!
To top off the meal, we added a bunch of green onions from last week’s CSA box from Great Country Farms. We’ll get a new batch of goodies tomorrow, and I just can’t wait to see them!
By the time the spring rolls were fully cooked, the fried rice was, too, and we loaded our plates high (in much the same way we’d do at the all-you-can-eat buffet) and chowed down. As usual, it was fantastic! Light, flavorful, hearty – a great meal, all the way around. The only sad part is that we both came home hungry and mowed down the pan, so there aren’t any leftovers for tomorrow. C’est la vie!
:)