Pork Fried Rice

The recipe I use for fried rice is in a little cookbook by Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Joanne Lamb Hayes, called Rice. It’s really more of a guideline for fried rice, because the possibilities for variations are endless.

I happened to have leftover pork tenderloin, but you could use any leftover meat or seafood. The authors used water chestnuts; I added diced red pepper instead. They give suggestions for other substitutions: bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, pimientos, onions, or celery.

It’s best to use leftover rice, too. The rice should be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated; refrigeration makes the rice dry out a bit which makes it better for fried rice.

Basically, this is a great recipe for leftovers! It’s good enough, though, to cook up a batch of rice to refrigerate just for fried rice in a day or two.

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Pork Fried Rice

(printable recipe)

(Inspired by the recipe by Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Joanne Lamb Hayes in Rice)

This is a stir-fry recipe that goes together very quickly once you start cooking, so have all of your ingredients ready to go.

Serves 4 (easily can be cut in half to serve 2)

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4 cups cooked rice, cold

¼ cup oil (I use peanut oil.)

1-1¼ cups cooked pork, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup frozen peas

½ – ¾ cup diced red peppers

2½  tablespoons oyster sauce* (for gluten-free, use Wok Mei All Natural Oyster Sauce )

1 tablespoon soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 green onions, sliced

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1. Using your fingers, separate the rice so the grains aren’t stuck together.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (A 12-inch cast iron skillet is ideal.)

3. Add the red peppers (or any other raw vegetable that you’re using) and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry for about a minute. Add the rice and stir-fry until it is all well-coated with the oil and warm, but not browned.

4. Make a well in the center of the rice and add the beaten eggs. Stir-fry to distribute the eggs throughout the rice. They will cook very quickly.

5. Add the peas, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Continue to stir-fry for a few seconds. Stir in the green onions and serve.

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*Ingredient note: I discovered Wok Mei All Natural Oyster Sauce at Metropolitan Market. It’s great and has no MSG, sodium benzoate, modified corn starch, refined sugars, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. It’s gluten-free! Love it!