Vegetable Fried Rice

Another great recipe from Yahoo! Food/Eating Well. It's not too difficult to make, and tastes very good every time I've made it. To reduce preparation time, I have occasionally substituted fresh garlic with pre-minced garlic (the stuff that comes out of a jar) and ginger with ginger powder without noticeable differences in taste. The original recipe calls for instant brown rice (red flag right there!) so I have always used jasmine rice instead. It works great and probably tastes better than the "instant" stuff. I'd imagine you could substitute any kind of long grain rice. You could also cook the rice a day ahead; leftover rice is always better for frying because the grains don't stick.

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups rice + 1½ cups of water (or 1½ cups instant brown rice + 1½ vegetable broth if cooking rice in saucepan)
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 12 ounces asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium red bell peppers, thinly sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 8 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 8 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker according to manufacturer's directions. (Or see below for directions on cooking rice without rice cooker.) After rice is done, let cool for 5 minutes. (It's even better to use leftover rice.)
   
2. While the rice is cooling, coat a large nonstick wok or skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour in eggs and cook, stirring gently, until just set. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Heat canola oil in the pan over medium-high; add asparagus and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper, scallions, garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce and vinegar to the pan; cook until the liquid is absorbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Fold in the cooked eggs. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil and hot sauce.

Directions on cooking rice without rice cooker (from the original recipe):

Combine rice and broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes. Spread the rice out on a large plate and let stand for 5 minutes.

Yields: 4 servings

Ready to serve.

Links:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/652/vegetable-fried-rice (original recipe for 2 servings)