Curry Fried Rice

We eat a lot of Asian food around here.

It's probably because RJ is half Vietnamese and he loves loves loves it.

My boys are big fans of it, too.

I was pretty slow to come on board, though.  Until I was an old married woman, I had never even so much as TASTED of anything that could be considered even slightly Asian, and even after I tasted it a couple dozen times, I really didn't like it.  It took me years - literally YEARS - of tasting and trying different foods that RJ was so crazy about before I could even say "Yeah, that tasted ok."

And now I love it.  Within reason, of course.  Although my roots will always be in white bread, potatoes, and biscuits and gravy, I can whip up a batch of fried rice with the best of them now, and even enjoy eating it.

Last week I made some Vietnamese pancakes and I needed a side dish that would complement the curry flavor.  I had some white rice that had been hanging out in my fridge for a while, so Curry Fried Rice it became.

And it was good.

Very, very good.

[Printable Recipe]

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 cups cooked white rice.  Older is better.  If it's been hanging out in your fridge for a few days, that's best.  At MINIMUM, cook it, let it cool, then refrigerate it for at least an hour or two.

1 small red pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, shredded

3 green onions, finely diced (greens too)

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 cloves of garlic 

1 tablespoon curry powder

1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, depending on your love of things spicy (you can buy this in the Asian food section of most grocery stores, but if you don't have any, double up on the amount of garlic and throw in some crushed red pepper flakes instead)

WHAT YOU DO:

In the blender or food processor, blend the soy sauce, garlic, curry powder and chili garlic sauce, until smooth.  Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and butter over medium heat, then add in the red pepper, carrot and green onion.  Saute for a minute, then add in the beaten egg, stirring constantly until the egg is firm.  Add the rice, stirring constantly until the rice is heated through and the egg and vegetables are incorporated. Now turn the heat to high and add in the soy sauce mixture, stirring constantly.  When the rice begins to stick to the pan, it's done.  

Yum.