Traditional fried rice gets a makeover with this pork sausage fried rice, filled with eggs, cabbage, carrots, peas, corn and scrambled eggs using brown rice. Swap out sausage with leftover pulled pork, steak or chicken and you’ve got a quick and flavorful meal!
I am always introducing new recipes to my family. The kids have gotten used to this even though not all of the foods I have given them were welcomed whole heartedly. And sometimes I forget some of the obvious choices to make for my crew.
My boys went out with their cousin one night to celebrate a birthday at Benihana’s. When they returned they raved about the fried rice prepared before them. Fried rice? Why did I never make fried rice for them at home? And so I did.
Best rice for fried rice
Fried rice is a classic dish found on the menu at your favorite Chinese restaurant. But it is also popular in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and most countries in Asia. Rice is an integral part of the diet in this region, so what do you do with all those leftovers? You make fried rice.
Fried rice is made with already cooked rice, usually leftovers from a previous meal. You can make fried rice with ANY kind of rice, long grain or short, white or brown. Chinese cuisine usually cooks with Jasmine rice, a very aromatic short grain rice that is high in starch and sticky. But as many countries make fried rice, they also use various different rices.
So what is the best rice to use for fried rice? Any leftover cooked rice. And yes, I’ve made fried rice with leftover Persian basmati rice – my family loves it!
Best vegetables for fried rice
The beauty of this dish is that anything goes. There are no rules in what vegetables to use in fried rice, so choose your favorites or whatever you have in your refrigerator and freezer. For me, it’s all about color. I like to choose a variety of colors and textures when I cook. In my fried brown rice recipe, I use carrots, corn, peas, cabbage and green onions.
Here are some great vegetables you can mix into your own fried rice:
- carrots
- celery
- corn
- peas
- onions
- green onions
- cabbage
- bean sprouts
- bok choy
- bell peppers
- snow pea pods
- mushrooms
- spinach
- broccoli
- asparagus
Pulled pork fried rice?
Just as you can choose any of your favorite vegetables to make fried rice, the same is true with the meats. Use whatever you have on hand, even leftover pulled pork, pork sausage, steak, chicken or shrimp.
Don’t have meat? Don’t worry. Just scramble an extra egg for your protein source.
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Pork Sausage Fried Brown Rice
Traditional fried rice gets a makeover with this pork sausage fried brown rice, filled with eggs, cabbage, carrots, peas, corn and scrambled eggs. Swap out sausage with leftover pulled pork, steak or chicken and you've got a quick and flavorful meal!
Ingredients
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 eggs, large, beaten
- 1 carrot, diced
- 7 oz sausage, diced
- 2 green onions, diced
- 3 cup brown short grain rice, cooked, previously chilled
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ginger, ground
- 4 oz cabbage, green, shredded
- ½ cup peas, frozen
- ½ cup corn, frozen
Instructions
- Place a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. When wok is hot, coat the pan with 1 TBLS olive oil.
- Add eggs and stir quickly to scramble.
- When eggs are cooked, transfer to serving dish. Wipe wok clean with paper towel and remaining 1 TBLS olive oil.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and add carrot.
- Stir and cook for 1 minute then add sausage and green onions.
- Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minute then add brown rice.
Spread mixture across the bottom of wok and cook until rice starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Stir rice and spread again across the bottom of wok to cook for an additional minute. - In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger.
Drizzle the sauce mixture over the rice, stirring continuously. - Stir in cabbage, peas and corn.
- Return cooked eggs to wok and continue to stir and cook until everything is heated and cabbage starts to soften, about 1 more minute.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
Notes
Instead of sausage, feel free to use any leftover meats you have on hand, like leftover pulled pork, steak or chicken. Just give it a quick sauté in the hot wok to reheat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
½ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 597mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g
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