Wednesday: Interchangeable Asian Fried Rice

Stir Fried rice is one of our family's favorite type of meal, so I have gone through a LOT of recipes to find the best one...and I think I have found it! This one is from the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Cooking Light and I love how interchangeable it is. My husband prefers a dinner with meat in it, the kids and I usually veer towards the vegetarian option. I love that I can accommodate both with this meal.

Recipe

1 TB brown sugar
1 TB fish sauce
1 TB Bragg Liquid Aminos (see picture below) or Less-sodium soy sauce
1 TB fresh lime juice (see note below)
2 tsp of stir-fry sauce, divided (see picture below)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 bunch of green onions, separate greens from whites, cut both into 1 inch pieces
2 TB of toasted sesame oil
2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled rice
1/4 cups (1 medium sized or 2 small) vertically sliced shallots
3 boneless chicken thighs or 1 cup of leftover chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces (note:omit if using tofu)
1/2 cake of firm or extra-firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch squares (note: omit if using chicken)
2 cups (about 1 head) broccoli florets
1 cup (approx. 1) red bell pepper cut into strips
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
Cooking spray
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I use turkey bacon)
Sesame seeds (optional)

1. Whisk first 4 ingredients with 1 tsp of stir-fry sauce in a small bowl. Combine eggs and remaining stir-fry sauce in a different bowl.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp oil to pan, and swirl to coat evenly. Add rice, stir-fry 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer rice mixture to a large bowl. Heat 2 tsp oil to pan. Add shallots and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken or tofu. If using raw chicken cook until lightly browned and no longer pink in middle, 2-3 minutes. If using leftover chicken or tofu, cook 1-2 minutes. Add brown sugar mixture to pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 1 minute until liquid thickens. Add chicken/tofu mixture to rice mixture.

3. Wipe out pan with paper towel; return to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 tsp oil, swirling to coat. Add broccoli and bell pepper;stir-fry 3 minutes. Add green onion bottoms (the white parts) and garlic. Stir-fry 1 more minute. Add rice and chicken/tofu mixture to pan, cook 2 minutes until heated thoroughly. Return rice and chicken/tofu mixture to large bowl. 4. Return pan to medium-high heat after wiping it out with paper towel. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add egg mixture, swirling to coat pan, cook for about 1 minute or until egg has set. Transfer egg to cutting board;chop. Stir egg and bacon into rice mixture. Top with green onion tops (green parts) and sesame seeds if using.

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Who likes to change it up?

~Use baby corn and peas instead of bell pepper and broccoli.
~Add chunks of pineapple to dish.
~Try lemon juice instead of lime to give it a slightly different flavor.
~Don't have fish sauce? Just increase soy sauce to 1 1/2 TB.

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Favorite condiments & a lime lesson

Lately, my favorite condiment has been Bragg Liquid Aminos Soy Sauce. It is AWESOME! I put it in everything. What's in it? Vegetable protein from Soybeans and purified water. THAT'S IT!!! No extra salt, like you will find in most soy sauces. Find it in your local natural food section or Whole Foods store.If you can't find it, let me know and I will help you find it for your area or you can buy it off of amazon here. 
 Bragg - Bragg Liquid Aminos, 16 fl oz liquid

I get this General Tsao stir-fry sauce from Trader Joe's which has minimal ingredients in it, and is super yummy.  For the recipe above, any stir-fry sauce will work.

Shopping for limes can be tricky. You want to find ones that are soft because you will get more juice out of them. If they only have ones that are hard, make sure you buy a few extras since you won't get much juice from them.