Simple Fried Rice

John & I are big fans of Chinese takeout. Not so much now that we've moved into our new house, but back when I lived closer to Green Hills, we had Chinatown easily once a week. Over the past year, we've made fried rice a few times, but it's never been very good. It seems like it would be such a simple thing to make, but we could never get it quite right. Until now.

This recipe calls for shredded chicken, pork or beef, but we skipped that step & just used the frozen mandarin orange chicken from Trader Joe's. It was delish! Here's the recipe:

Simple Fried Rice
Serves 4 to 6
Don't try to make this dish with hot or even warm rice, it will turn out incredibly mushy. Use only cold or slightly chilled rice.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup (6 oz) frozen peas, thawed
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups shredded or thinly sliced cooked chicken, pork or beef
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
5 medium scallions, sliced thin

1. COOK EGGS: Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in 12" nonstick skillet over medium high until shimmering. Add eggs & cook without stirring until just beginning to set, about 20 seconds. Continue to cook eggs, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute; transfer to small bowl & set aside.

2. STIR-FRY VEGETABLES, RICE, MEAT, & SAUCE: Add remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil to skillet & return to high heat until just smoking. Add peas & garlic & cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice, meat, soy sauce, & oyster-flavored sauce & cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes.

3. ADD SPROUTS, SCALLIONS, EGGS & HEAT THROUGH: Stir in bean sprouts, scallions, & reserved cooked eggs & cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve.

This recipe called for 3 ingredients that I had never bought or used - bean sprouts, scallions, & oyster-flavored sauce. I easily found all 3 ingredients at Publix & they definitely added to the authenticity of the fried rice. Also, we used a wok instead of a 12" nonstick skillet.

John & I loved this dish. Loved! It's definitely going into the rotation. Enjoy!