Left Over Fried Rice

The Chinese hate to waste anything. To throw away food is unconscionable. This is a lesson my mother taught me very well and to this day, I cannot bring myself simply to discard leftover food. Fortunately, the wok is most useful when it comes to making the best of leftovers. The trick is to create tasty, nutritious meals by means of the wok stir-fry technique. Here is a recipe of what I found in my fridge the other day: bits of leftover cucumber and corn that I blended with spicy enhancements. Left over cold rice helped pull the dish together. You will enjoy this tasty treat and feel virtuous as well. If I have left over rice, I freeze it rather than toss it away. Remember that your cooked rice should be very cold before you put it into the wok.

By Ken Hom

Ingredients show imperial units

Serves 2-4

2 beaten eggs
Eggs

Always have some on hand for quick scrambled egg.
- Keep eggs in the fridge in their box and never eat them after their best before date.
- The Health Protection Agency recommends buying Lion branded eggs, which come from vaccinated hens and are therefore less likely to contain salmonella
2 teaspoons seasame oil
2 teaspoons salt

Salt

Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.

Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.
2 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
225g onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon feshly ground black pepper
Black peppercorns

Best used as a condiment.
They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.
- Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
- Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
- Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
Leftover cold, cooked (if frozen, thaw) rice
Rice

Great as an accompaniment or for making risotto and pilaff.
- White long grain rice is good for salads, and its absorbent qualities go well with sauces and casseroles.
- Risotto rice has an incredible capacity to absorb a great amount of cooking liquid and still retain bite, just like paella rice.
- When cooked, basmati rice gives a light, fluffy, separate grains perfect to accompany curries or biriyani and pilaff dishes.
- Rice can replace breadcrumbs in stuffing’s and a few grains can be added to soups to thicken the broth.
- You have to be careful when reheating rice as there is a nasty little bacteria called bacillus cereus which may be present in cereals, particularly rice, and it is resistant to heat.
- It’s important always to cook rice for a hot dish just as you need it and serve it piping hot. If the rice is for a cold dish, once it’s cooked, cool it as quickly as possible and chill within two hours. To do this, drain the rice in a colander, rinse with cold water then tip into a large shallow container. Once it is cold, cover and keep refrigerated for no longer than a day.
175g cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
100g fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
1 teaspoon chilli oil

Leftover cold, cooked (if frozen, thaw) Rice
Rice

Great as an accompaniment or for making risotto and pilaff.
- White long grain rice is good for salads, and its absorbent qualities go well with sauces and casseroles.
- Risotto rice has an incredible capacity to absorb a great amount of cooking liquid and still retain bite, just like paella rice.
- When cooked, basmati rice gives a light, fluffy, separate grains perfect to accompany curries or biriyani and pilaff dishes.
- Rice can replace breadcrumbs in stuffing’s and a few grains can be added to soups to thicken the broth.
- You have to be careful when reheating rice as there is a nasty little bacteria called bacillus cereus which may be present in cereals, particularly rice, and it is resistant to heat.
- It’s important always to cook rice for a hot dish just as you need it and serve it piping hot. If the rice is for a cold dish, once it’s cooked, cool it as quickly as possible and chill within two hours. To do this, drain the rice in a colander, rinse with cold water then tip into a large shallow container. Once it is cold, cover and keep refrigerated for no longer than a day.

Instructions

Combine the eggs with the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until it is hot. Add the groundnut oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the onions, remaining salt, and pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the beaten egg mixture and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the rice and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Finally, add the cucumber, corn and chilli oil and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Turn onto a platter and serve hot, or cold as a rice salad.

Note: Rice safety

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating. Never leave cooked rice to cool on its own - always chill it quickly for example under running cold water. If cooked rice had been chilled or frozen ensure that it is thoroughly reheated and is piping hot throughout. Never keep rice chilled for longer than 1 day or frozen for longer than 1 month. Once cooked rice has been re-heated, throw away any leftovers. Never re-heat rice more than once.

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