Soft scrambled eggs and crispy garlic bits are my favourite additions to fried rice. If you buy and stock garlic granules by the pound like this alliomaniac writing the recipe, use that by all means. (A word! For the garlic obsessed!) Don’t  worry if you don’t though – I’ve put instructions below for how you can make some. I got us all covered.

Rice is basmati. Cook it any which way you like – pot or rice cooker. This is probably one of the only times I’d recommend not using a pressure cooker for the job. We want the rice grains to be dry and separate, and there’s a significant risk of clumpy, overcooked rice with a pressure cooker. Once cooked, stick it under the fan to cool completely. Then break up the bigger pieces with your hands before using.

The main flavour in the rice comes from stock cubes. Since the rice itself is pretty basic and has no additional flavourings (not even soy), stock cubes are what give it that extra umami depth. Stock cubes are salty, so I use them in place of salt. How many you’d need would depend largely on the brand you use. Start with one and taste and add more as you go along.

The aforementioned garlic bits: fry chopped garlic in oil until golden and crisp. The remaining oil in the pan we use to fry the eggs. Make sure you keep the eggs a soft scramble as they’ll continue to cook in the pan. Four eggs in a recipe that feeds two may sound excessive, but this gives you the best ratio of rice:egg in every bite. Also the extra protein is a huge bonus.

I like to toss the rice with a small knob of butter in the end for flavour. Fried rice sometimes tends to dry out, and especially so if you’re cooking with less oil (as we are here). So the butter helps moisten the rice too.

GARLIC EGG FRIED RICE

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 4 eggs
  • 10 spring onion stalks, finely chopped
  • 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, finely diced
  • 15 green beans, finely diced
  • 2 veg stock cubes (see notes)
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 10 grams butter, optional
  • Salt, if needed

Instructions

  • Rinse the rice and cook with 2 cups of water. Use either a pot or a rice cooker for this. Cool completely (set it under a fan to speed up the process).
  • Combine 2 tablespoons of oil and garlic cloves in a small pan. Set the pan over a low heat and cook the garlic until lightly browned. Set a small strainer over a bowl. Drain the garlic bits in the strainer. Retain the oil.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl with a little salt. In the remaining garlic oil, fry the eggs to a very soft scramble. Set aside.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large wok/pan. Sauté the spring onions (bottom parts), carrots, and beans. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Crumble in the stock cubes and add pepper.
  • Break up the cooled rice with your hands. Add in batches to the wok and toss. Add butter, the crispy garlic bits, and scrambled eggs. Break up the eggs into smaller bits with your ladle. Toss everything together.
  • Sprinkle over spring onion tops. Taste for seasoning. Add an extra stock cube if needed. Serve hot with a side dish of your choice.

Notes

Serves 2 with a side dish.
The number of stock cubes you’ll need depends on the brand you use. Start with one and add more if necessary.
Garlic browns very quickly. Keep an eye out and take the pan off the heat as soon as it's lightly browned. It will continue to cook and darken in the residual heat too.

CoConmbine

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