Fried Rice

I really love fried rice. I mean really, really love it. I have learned my lesson though. I've pretty much given up ordering it when I am out. I found that fried rice from restaurants typically had only a 5% enjoyment factor, meaning that only 5% of the time that I ordered it did I think it was worth a darn. I'm not sure what the other 95% of places do to their rice to make it so bad since fried rice is very easy to make.

I like my fried rice moist and flavorful. Ooooo... and I like a lot of scrambled egg, too. The peas add a nice bit of color and a creamy, flavorful bite. And the bacon. Well, bacon makes everything better, right? The combination of flavors here is divine. I usually leave off here, but this recipe is a great starting point to make your own combination fried rice. Add whatever additional ingredients strike your fancy.
Fried Rice
Yield: Serves 2-4

1 cup uncooked long grain rice (I like Jasmine rice)
1 1/2 to 2 cups water (depending on rice type)

6 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup frozen, shelled peas
1/4 cup soy sauce

In a sauce pan with a lid, bring the water to a boil. Use the amount of water specified on the package for your rice type. Jasmine rice typically uses 1 1/2 cups water whereas regular long grain rice requires 2 cups. Once the water has reached a boil, add rice, stir, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. If you have leftover rice, you can use that instead of cooking up fresh rice for this dish (you'll need about 4 cups, cooked).

When the rice is about done, start cooking the bacon over medium-high heat. When the bacon is about halfway cooked, add the onions. Stir regularly to keep things cooking evenly. When the bacon and onions are about done, add the peas. You don't want to add them too early since they just need enough time to thaw and heat through.

Cook your scrambled eggs. I just spatula the rest of the ingredients to the sides of the pan and cook my eggs in the middle. If you want your eggs to be bright yellow and pretty you can cook them in another pan or cook them first before starting everything else and then add them back in at this point. Use your spatula to break the scrambled eggs up into pieces.

Make sure the pan is still pretty hot at this point (I use medium-high throughout) so that when you add the rice, it doesn't just sit in the bacon grease doing nothing. I do not drain off any of the bacon drippings. I find that the amount of grease from six strips is about right for coating the rice and frying it up, but you can drain some off if you want. Keep the rice moving to heat it up and then add the soy sauce. I never actually measure it. I pour little splashes in and stir until it is the color that I like. I taste occasionally too to be sure it's right.

Serve and enjoy! I often make fried rice as a one dish meal. Last night, though, I made pot stickers to go with it. I'll show you how I make pot stickers (won tons) tomorrow!
Oh, and I grew up eating this rice, so kudos to my mom for coming up with such a great recipe!