Makes 4 to 6 servings
The key to good fried rice is using leftover rice, which is drier than freshly steamed. In the interest of keeping it simple, our favorite strategy is to keep a zip-top bag in the freezer where you can empty leftover rice from take-out or home-made dinners. Just pull it out of the freezer in the morning before you head out for work. If you don’t have leftover rice, this is a great time to use those bags of frozen rice you can buy at most grocery stores.
Ingredients
- One (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large carrot, quartered lengthwise and diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 cups cooked brown rice, preferably day-old
- 1/2 cup shelled edamame (fresh or frozen)
- 2 scallions, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for garnish
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the carrot and onion, and cook until soft and browned around the edges. The carrot should be just about cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the eggs and a pinch of salt. Cook without stirring until the eggs begin to set on the bottom, about 15 seconds. Stir and continue cooking until large curds form, about 30 more seconds.
- Add the rice and reserved soy sauce mixture and stir to coat. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook without stirring until the rice begins to brown at the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Stir and cook again, without stirring. Continue this until the rice is nicely browned, about 4 minutes total.
- Add the cooked chicken and vegetables, along with the edamame and scallions. Cook about 3 minutes more until the scallions are slightly wilted. Top with more sliced scallions to serve.
