Fried Rice with Beef

Fried Rice—the ancient one pot wonder. While grocery shopping I found some cheap pre-cut lean beef meant for “oriental” dishes. I wasn’t sure what to do with it until I came up with this! Here is a super easy recipe for fried rice that you can scale to any number of diners. This serves about four, but Kent and I follow it as is because it makes for sensational leftovers. Don’t be scared away by the number of ingredients—you likely have most of these in your fridge already. Time for some chow!

Fried Rice with Beef

Ingredients:

1 lb lean stir-fry beef, cut into thin strips

1 small red onion, diced

2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp corn starch

1 head of broccoli, chopped

2 small sweet peppers, diced

1 egg

1 ½ cups uncooked brown basmati rice

Fresh cilantro for garnish

2 Tbsp seasame oil

Chili oil or red pepper flakes, optional

Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, create a marinade using 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger and 1 clove of garlic. Add the beef and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While the beef is marinating, combine 3 cups water and the brown rice with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 50-60 minutes. Test for doneness and fluff with a fork. When the rice is completely cooked, remove the cover, and take off the heat to stop the cooking process.

*You will notice I specified brown basmati rice.  I think this rice works great and is worth the extra $. It is a firmer and nuttier variety and holds up well to the dark flavors of the beef and soy sauce. Plus is it high in fiber! Look for it in the bulk grocery section where you can buy exactly as much as you need.

In a wok or deep-sided frying pan, heat  1 Tbsp of sesame oil.  Spoon the beef into the hot pan allowing most of the marinade to stay in the bowl and discard. Over high heat, cook the beef to desired doneness and remove from the pan.

Add a second tablespoon of oil to the wok and sauté the onions and broccoli in any remaining juices. When the broccoli has browned, add the peppers, and rest of the ginger and garlic.  Working over medium-high heat, saute 2 -3 minutes until the peppers are cooked. Pour in the beef broth.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 cup soy sauce with the 1 tsp of corn starch to make a slurry. Pour into the hot wok with the veggies. Cook for 2 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.  If spice is desired add red pepper flakes now, or better yet chili oil if you have it. Mmm.

Move to veggies over to find the bottom of the pan and crack in the egg. Scramble the egg and cook for 1 minute and then mix into the veggies. Add the cooked rice and stir until well combined. Then remove from the heat.Serve immediately garnished with a bit of cilantro and more chili oil if you like it REALLY spicy. Time to eat!

Once you have the rice cooked and your veggies prepped, it only takes about 5 minutes to make this dish. This really comes together fast! If you have a rice cooker, this is a great time to dig it out so you have one less thing to think about. The recipe works great with any veggies, so feel free to substitute anything you have in your crisper bin!

I hope have fun making this dish! Enjoy!

-Nikki