Beef fried rice is a classic mainstay of just about every Chinese take out restaurant. I’m loving it, since it is kind of a one pot dish that is easy to throw together. And it tastes so darned good.
I asked my daughter Amy, who we are staying with for the summer, to show me how she makes her fried rice dish. First of all, she makes it without meat, so the meat part was my doing. She says that when she makes it, it is usually loaded with vegetables. Whatever is on hand at the time. Last night she went out and picked some fresh broccoli from the garden and cooked that up with the rice. I’m thinking that you could use just about any green vegetable you had on hand or sweet peppers, spinach, arugula. It would all be good.
The beef I used was top sirloin and browning it for just 2 or 3 minutes resulted in really nice, tender meat. I’d stay away from lesser cuts like chuck or stew meat, as these would probably be kind of tough.
Amy’s technique for adding the eggs is kind of unique. After she has added the oil to the rice to make sure the grains are coated and separated, she makes a little pocket in the rice and adds the eggs. As the eggs start to set up, she scrambles them and starts adding small amounts of rice from the edge until the egg is totally incorporated.
After that, she added the cooked broccoli, the soy sauce, sesame oil and finally the white wine to finish the dish. This is also were you would throw in the browned meat. Amy’s not eating that, so we added the beef separately to our dishes.
I recently ran across a nice article from My King Cook. com which outlines other ways to cook fried rice. It highlights methods from a number of sites that feature fried rice. I think you should check it out, as it is very well laid out and written. You’ll find it at How To Make Fried Rice.
Just look at the color of those yolks from Amy’s backyard chickens! Beside the good feed she gives them, they wander the backyard eating grass and bugs and whatever else they can find, resulting in the gorgeous orange/gold and higher nutrition. We’re going miss those eggs when we return to Florida in a few weeks.
The nutrition label is based on making 4 servings from this recipe. There were four of us eating it and I’m pretty sure we all had seconds. I know I ate the bowlful in the picture below and had another helping besides. Realistically, the recipe should serve 4 to 6 people, depending on their appetites.
Here’s the printable recipe for beef fried rice. Give it a try.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lbs . top sirloin beef , cut into 1/2" cubes
- 4 tbsp soy sauce , divided
- 4 tsp sesame oil , divided
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
- salt and water for boiling rice
- 3 c . broccoli florets
- 1/4 c . canola oil
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
- 4 lg. eggs
- 1/4 c . dry white wine
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil, add the beef cubes and toss to coat.
- Cook the rice according to instructions on the packaging or cook it as you would pasta by adding more water, bring it to a boil, add rice and cook for 10 minutes, drain well and return it to the pot until needed.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat, add the beef and brown all sides, 2 to 3 minutes, place in a bowl.
- Place broccoli in the skillet on medium heat, add 1/4 cup water and steam cook the broccoli to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, place in a bowl
- Add 2 tablespoons canola oil to skillet on medium to medium high heat and add the minced garlic then stir in the cooked rice, then add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of oil to fully coat the grains of rice and prevent sticking.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make a hole in the middle of the rice, then add the eggs.
- As the eggs start to set up, gradually stir in the rice from the edges until the scrambled eggs are fully incorporated.
- Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil and stir to combine
- Add the wine, beef, and broccoli, stir in to reheat, 3 or 4 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
This is easy to cook, thank for the tips. I love Beef Fried Rice with some fresh broccoli.
Thanks for the nice comment Lita. Glad you liked it.
Yum, Yum, Yum!! Amy’s teaching us some new tricks while we’re staying here.