Red Fried Rice

I quote from "Spirituality in Patient Care" by Harold Koenig, M.D., Second Edition under the Information on Specific Religions section:

"Mormons eat meat sparingly, but encourage vegetarian foods."

?! Good thing I'm already all over this! Whew. In that spirit, I present another edition of Vegetable Tuesdays, brought to you by your local vegetable-cooking Mormon...

This week's dish was inspired by the Red Fried Rice recipe from The Everyday Chinese Cookbook edited by Linda Doesser. "Inspired" is a loose word here. First I give the recipe as described in the cookbook, and then my own version, using what I had on hand.

Ms. Doesser says of this dish, "This vibrant rice dish owes its appeal as much to the bright colours of the red onion, red pepper and cherry tomatoes as it does to their distinctive flavors."

Ingredients:

115 g/4 oz basmati rice
30 mL/2 Tbsp groundnut oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
225 g/8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the rice several times under cold running water. Drain well. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onion and red pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets.

4. Drain the cooked rice thoroughly, add to the wok and toss it over the heat with the vegetable ad egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2.

My version

Ingredients:

1 C uncooked white rice
4 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large hothouse tomatoes, diced
4 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan with some salt. Bring to a boil, add the rice, put on a lid and turn down the heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until done.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 1 minute without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets for 4-5 additional minutes.

4. Add the cooked rice directly to the frying pan and toss it over the heat with the vegetable and egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4?


I liked this dish, although I can definitely see why having a tastier tomato/oil/onion combination would result in something with a little more pizazz. Still, it was simple, warm, and tasty and remarkably I didn't find myself minding the egg (although I did mind the pepper). I think it's a good way to use the bland tomatoes that are available in the winter in Rochester. I also found it a little too oil-ly tasting, so I think if I made it again I would reduce the oil somewhat, maybe only 3 or 3.5 tablespoons.

Imagine if I made these with tomatoes from my own garden. Then what a Mormon I would be!