I always make fried rice before leaving on a vacation, because it’s the perfect way to use up the motley crew of forgotten vegetables in my produce drawer — you know, that half of a head of broccoli hanging on for dear life, the floppy celery stalk, the slightly browning quarter of a cabbage, that limp, shriveled carrot… Just empty your produce drawer into a skillet with some rice, garlic, tofu and soy sauce, and you have yourself a delicious, healthy, satisfying send-off.
You can truly use whatever vegetables you have, following the usual rule of thumb of adding them to the wok in order of hardest to softest (i.e. carrots and broccoli stems first, bok choy stems and cabbage next, bok choy leaves or peas last).
This dish travels well, too, so pack up leftovers for your trip, and you can avoid airport fare or road trip fast food altogether.
Pre-Vacation Fried Rice
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 cups diced mixed vegetables (cabbage, green onion, carrot, broccoli, celery, bok choy, peas, or whatever you have on hand)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 package firm tofu, drained
4 cups cooked rice (I like to use brown jasmine)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (or 1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey)
Salt to taste
Optional toppings:
Hot sauce, such as sambal oelek or Sriracha
Furikake (toasted sesame seeds and seaweed)
Sliced green onion
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the chopped vegetables, adding the hardest vegetables first to stir-fry for a few minutes and then gradually adding the softer vegetables and greens. Stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Empty the contents of the skillet into a serving dish and return the empty skillet to the stove. Heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Use your hands to crumble the tofu into the skillet, breaking up any larger chunks with a spatula or spoon. Stir-fry the tofu for 5 to 7 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, and the tofu dries out slightly.
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Add the cooked rice and stir-fry an additional 2 minutes. Finally, add back in the vegetables along with the soy sauce and mirin and stir-fry for 1 minute to allow the flavor to infuse the fried rice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or more soy sauce or sesame oil.
Serve warm, topped with sambal oelek, sliced green onion and the toppings of your choice.
Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.
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