For My Veggie Loving Meat Free Nephew

My nephew T is a veggie loving, meat free type of guy.  His Mom inquired as to whether I would mind posting a vegetarian meal that didn't necessarily include pasta.  I thought a veggie fried rice might fit the bill. 

I am starting with 6 different vegetables.  You can add or subtract anything you want.  I am using scallions, peas, pea pods, broccoli, carrots and asparagus.

                           

You need 3 eggs - 1/2 cup of Oyster Sauce - 2 tablespoons of Tamari or Soy Sauce - Canola, Vegetable or Peanut Oil.  I have a piece of ginger there, but I didn't get to use it.  They say you can store it in the freezer, and it will stay fresher longer.  However, I think this piece must have encountered some water, because it was a little mushy.  But if you have some, grate a couple of teaspoons and add it when the veggies go in. 

Lightly beat the egg.

You also need about 6 cups of cold leftover white rice.  Now here is where I had a problem.  When I cook rice in the rice cooker, I use Jasmine rice and I do a ratio of 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.  That gets it nice and sticky.  I love it like that when it is just for a side of rice with dinner.  But for fried rice you need it to be dry and sort of crumbly when it is cold.  If I had done a ratio of 1:1, everything would have been fine.  As it was, the flavor was fine, we just didn't love the texture of the rice.  Oil well, c'est la vie!

Cut the vegetables to approximately the same size.  Don't obsess over this, approximately is the key word.

Mix the Oyster Sauce with the Tamari or Soy Sauce.  The only difference between the two, is that Tamari is supposed to be a premium Soy Sauce, so either will do just fine.

Over a medium high heat, pour the eggs into the pan and let it spread out.

You want the egg to be fried rather than scrambled, but you want it to be fairly thin.  Again, no obsessing, it is just eggs.  Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Now here is where Auntie Martha took a little deviation.  Don't look T and Sister E.  Just quickly and calmly move down by 3 pictures.

For UD and I, I am adding shrimp.  I have 20 jumbo, just because that is the size I had in the freezer.  I would recommend smaller, but I will just cut these in half once they are cooked.  I use Hannaford brand frozen shrimp.  They are raw with the shell on.  But they have been deveined, so they are easy to peel.  And I think they have great taste and texture.

Heat a few tablespoons of EVOO and a dab of butter for sweetness.  Add 5 or 6 crushed cloves of garlic.  I remove them once they have infused into the oil, but you can leave them in if you prefer.

Cook them a few minutes on each side and set aside. 

Hi T and Sister E.  Welcome back!

Over high heat, add the broccoli first.  After a minute or two add the rest of the veggies

When the veggies are just starting the soften, add the leftover cold rice and the Oyster/Soy Sauce combo. 

Stir all around until the rice warms up.

Add the egg (and the shrimp if you are using it) and mix it all together.

At this point, you could drizzle a touch of sesame oil over the top.  It's a nice finishing touch.  Bon Appetit!

A bientot!  See you soon.