Egg Fried Rice with Tomatoes

I just love Chinese food, with its wonderful flavours, and quick, easy cooking. I’ve already talked about Ching He-Huang’s Chinese Food Made Easy, which, I think, is a fantastic book, and has encouraged me to try some Chinese cooking at home, and the results have always been great. Cooking Chinese food at home really isn’t too difficult, and much better for your waistline and wallet than ordering takeaway!

I’m going to post a couple of sweet & sour recipes later, but thought I’d start with egg fried rice, as it is my favourite side dish to a Chinese meal, and really goes well with sweet & sour! This recipe is adapted from the Beijing Rice in Chinese Food Made Easy. I’ve reduced the amount of rice, and I think what I’ve suggested is enough of a side for two people, although I haven’t reduced the amount of seasoning, particularly the toasted sesame oil, as this is simply one of my favourite flavours – by all means reduce the amount slightly, or increase the rice up to about 400g, as my preference is for this rice is to have it really flavour-packed, if a touch oily. By all means, change the vegetables too. I love the crunch of the spring onion added in at the end, so my recipe calls for more than the original.

When making egg fried rice, you need to have cooked rice, and its easier to do this the day before, but do bear in mind you need drain it well, cool it quickly, refrigerate it and ensure it is fully reheated. If that all seems like a bit of a hassle, then you can cheat! This rice, and others like it, are designed for microwaving but are basically little packages of cooked rice, in a little oil to stop it sticking, that stir fry really well. I use it all the time, and would use one 280g packet in place of the 300g cooked rice in this recipe. It’s best to break it up in a bowl before you add it to the wok.

Recipe adapted from Ching-He Huang’s Chinese Food Made Easy

Egg Fried Rice with Tomatoes (serves 2)

• 1 – 2 tablespoons ground nut oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 300g cooked jasmine rice
• 3 tomatoes, de-seeded and sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• pinch of ground white pepper
• 4 – 5 spring onions, finely sliced

Heat a wok until very hot, and then add a tablespoon of ground nut oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs and scramble for a minute or two, until just cooked. You should probably remove the eggs at this point, and set aside to be re-added later, but I’ve never bothered and haven’t really noticed it being overdone.

If needed, add another tablespoon of ground nut oil to the wok. Tip in the rice, and stir fry for a minute, then add the tomatoes and stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

If you’ve removed the egg, stick it back in at this point. Season, to taste, with the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and pepper, and then add the spring onions. Give everything a final stir, and serve immediately.

Red and Green Sesame Stir Fry with Turkey

This easy stir fry is delicious, and I think this is for two key reasons. Firstly, it’s bright colours are so welcoming and cheery, which considering it has rained throughout July and looks like it will continue to do so for August, is no bad thing. Secondly, one of the key flavours here is fragrant toasted sesame oil, which is just wonderful.

Red and Green Sesame Stir Fry with Turkey (serves 2)

• 150g sugar snap peas (or mange-tout if you like – I prefer the former)
• 2 red peppers
• 1 bunch of spring onions (about 5-6)
• 1 inch long piece of ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 turkey breast steaks
• 150g egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon clear honey
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil + a little extra
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Follow the first rule of stir frying – have everything chopped and ready, as once it starts cooking the whole process is quite quick, and you won’t have time to stop! Stir-frying is often touted as a quick way of getting a relatively healthy meal on the table, and this is true if everything is prepared first.

Cook the noodles in boiling water as per the packet instructions. Drain, return to the pan, and dress with a good glug of toasted sesame oil to stop them sticking and to add some delicious flavour. Put to one side.

Heat a small frying pan and toast the sesame seeds in the dry pan until golden brown. When they’re done remove immediately to a small plate to stop them cooking further, and allow to cool a little.

De-seed the red peppers and slice them into batons. Add them to a bowl with the washed sugar snaps. Slice the spring onions and add to the bowl. Finely chop the garlic cloves, and do likewise withthe ginger (or grate it with a microplane) add add to the bowl. Mix well.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey and tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Add the toasted sesame seeds and mix to coat.

Slice the turkey into 1cm strips. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok, and stir fry the turkey for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate.

Return the wok to the heat and add the vegetable mix. Add a good splash of water to the pan to generate some steam, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. The aim here is to heat the vegetables through but to still have plenty of crunch – there’s not a lot worse than a soggy stir fry! Return the turkey to the wok to heat and stir fry for a couple of minutes more to heat through.

In their separate pan, re-heat the sesame oil coated noodles until warmed through. To the meat and veg in the wok, add the soy-honey-sesame dressing, and stir fry for a further minute, until everything is coated and the sauce is hot. Serve the stir fry immediately over the noodles and enjoy!