Recipe: Want something different for breakfast? Try making fried rice
According to the new cookbook, “Mostly Meatless” from America’s Test Kitchen, in cultures where rice is a staple, it’s common to serve the versatile grain for breakfast. It is often accompanied by eggs, vegetables, beans, or meat.
This delicious breakfast stir-fry dish pairs day-old cooked rice with shiitake mushrooms, eggs, and spinach, plus bacon and avocado. Sriracha hot sauce gives a just-right amount of spicy heat to the dish, but if you prefer a touch of sweetness as well as spiciness, prepare the book’s Gochujang Maple Sauce (recipe in cook’s notes).
Breakfast Fried Rice with Spinach and Shiitakes
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided use
2 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided use
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
4 cups baby spinach
4 white onions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
3 cups cooked long-grained brown or white rice (preferably day old), room temperature
Sriracha to taste or Gochujang Maple Sauce (see cook’s notes)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, see cook’s notes
Cook’s notes: If making the Gochujang Maple Sauce, microwave 2 teaspoons vegetable oil with 2 minced garlic cloves in a small bowl until bubbly and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 2 tablespoons gochujang, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil; microwave until bubbly and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated up to 3 days).
To toast sesame seeds put a plate next to the stove. Toast sesame seeds on medium-high heat in a small skillet, shaking handle back and forth to rotate seeds. Watch carefully because they burn easily. When the seeds are lightly browned, transfer to plate.
DIRECTIONS
1. Beat eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt until well combined; set aside. Cook bacon in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until well browned and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a medium bowl. Increase heat to medium-high; add eggs to fat left in the skillet. Cook stirring frequently, until very little liquid eggs remain, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer eggs to bowl with the bacon.
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the now-empty skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender and light golden, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms and spinach to the bowl with bacon mixture.
3. Add white portion of green onions to skillet along with 1 tablespoon oil to the now-empty skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add cooked rice and stir until combined, then spread into even layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly over rice. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and pressing on rice with spatula to break up any clumps, until grains are separate and heated through, 2 to 5 minutes longer. Add green portion of green onions and bacon mixture, and cook, stirring frequently and using the edge of the spatula to break eggs into small pieces, until vegetables and eggs are heated through, and mixture is well combined, about 2 minutes.
4. Divide fried rice between bowls. Drizzle with Gochujang Maple Sauce; or, if using sriracha sauce instead, add a little and toss mixture. Top with avocado slices and toasted sesame seeds.
Source: “Mostly Meatless” from America’s Test Kitchen
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.