It’s no secret that I am obsessed with Asian food, especially Chinese. I’ve even converted my husband from avoiding it to craving it. In recent years, I have found myself making more and more Chinese food copycat recipes, such as this week’s Pork Fried Rice. Beef and chicken dishes with special sauces can get tricky, but fried rice is a dish that truly anyone can master!
In some posts, I may recommend kitchen gadgets or tools that make cooking dishes like this one much easier. Building your kitchen utensil collection little by little can really help you grow as a chef over time. This post includes affiliate links to these types of products for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you make a purchase. I link only products that I actually own and use and recommend!
If this week’s got you too tired to leave the house but still craving takeout, then this recipe is for you! Even better? You’ll be able to feed double the mouths for a fraction of the cost with my version.
Let’s do this, Average Chefs!
Pork Fried Rice
Serves about 5 (the leftovers are fantastic!)
Estimated time, start to serve: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground pork (be sure to avoid anything pre-seasoned, like Italian sausage); ground chicken or turkey would also be delicious
½ of an onion, diced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small bag of frozen peas & carrots (or whatever stirfry veggies you like)
3-4 cups of cooked white rice; if possible, make it a few hours or even a day in advance, then store in the fridge to dry up a little
¼ cup soy sauce or liquid (coconut) aminos
3 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar or honey
1 ½ tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. chili paste (for a kick) or hoisin sauce (more sweet/savory); or do ½ Tbsp. of each!
3 cloves of garlic, freshly grated or minced; approximately 1 ½ tsp. of pre-minced garlic from the jar
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger or ginger paste from the squeeze bottle; a couple dashes of ground ginger seasoning work fine too
2 large eggs
Optional garnish: a few Tbsp. of sliced green onions and a quick shake of sesame seeds
Instructions:
1. Make your rice as far in advance as possible, up to a day beforehand. Using a simple (and super cheap!) microwave rice cooker like this one makes the process a breeze! Just follow the directions on the box of rice, then store in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pound of ground pork to the pan and begin to break it up into small pieces as it browns.
3. In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar/honey, sesame oil, chili paste/hoisin sauce, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
4. After 4-5 minutes of browning, add the diced onion to the meat and continue browning until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not drain.
5. Add the tablespoon of vegetable oil and frozen veggies. Keep the skillet hot (you may want to turn it up a little) and sauté everything together for 5 more minutes.
6. Add in the rice and stir well. Then pour in the sauce mixture. Toss around so that everything is evenly coated with sauce.
7. Make a small well in the middle of the skillet. Crack in the eggs and whisk them quickly with a fork while keeping them in the center. Then, slowly start bringing in the rice to the center until the well is closed. Stir well to evenly distribute the scrambled eggs, making sure to keep the heat up so that the rice can “fry” for a couple minutes.
8. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy! This dish is a rather complete meal in itself, but we chose to have some strawberries on the side too.
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My mouth is watering! Thanks for sharing this recipe.