By Gabby Raymond, AmeriCorps Food Justice Storytelling Content Leader
Lu Ja, Growing Together’s newest farmer
"I'm already 30, I need to eat healthy now," says Lu Ja as she vigorously stirs long beans sizzling in a pot with a little oil. She is preparing fried rice homemade style, which she describes as different from restaurants because of its simplicity and lack of lots of salt or MSG.
Lu Ja has two young sons at home, and so she often cooks easy to make, quick meals at home. A go-to meal for her is steamed chickpeas sauteed with garlic and rice, which she used to eat frequently in Myanmar. When she wants to incorporate more vegetable into her meals, she will make this fried rice.
"The tongue likes sweet and spicy," says Lu Ja. "But this meal is for a full stomach."
Lu Ja’s Healthy Fried Rice
Ingredients
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Black pepper to taste
5 to 6 cloves of garlic
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Mixed bell peppers, diced
Long beans, sliced
1 bunch water spinach, chopped
2 eggs
Vegetable oil
Instructions
Add 1 tsp. neutral oil to a pan on medium high heat and cook egg until done. Transfer to a bowl.
Massage 1 tsp salt into cooked rice.
Add more oil to the pan and cook long beans until soft.
Stir continuously and add salt, sugar and pepper.
Add bell peppers and when incorporated stir in chopped water spinach and rice.
Combine, add in chopped egg and stir in any additional seasoning.
Let rice cook until you can hear it begin to crackle.
Stir and then add tomatoes and Thai basil leaves and flowers.
Stir and scrape the bottom to incorporate any crunchy bits.
Although the eggs and vegetables are flavorful on their own. if you're looking to pack a little more punch to the flavors of this dish, you can incorporate your own sauce when you add the rice.
Option 1:
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp soy sauce
Option 3:
3 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Option 2:
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
For the best consistency when making fried rice, use cold leftover rice. Day old rice works perfectly because it will not become mushy when frying.
Vegetable fried rice can also be garnished with chopped scallions or cilantro and served with tomatoes and cucumbers on the side. You can also add chicken or shrimp if you don't want a strictly vegetarian dish.
