Wild Fried Rice Recipe
Fried rice made with wild rice, a thin omelette cut into strips, a splash of soy sauce, tofu, and whatever seasonal greens you have on hand - peas, asparagus, pea shoots, spinach.
On occasion I have to remind myself of this - the recipes I throw together on those I-don't-feel-like-cooking nights might just be the most useful to you. Right? What I mean is, they're the ones that come together quickly, usually without much fuss, and with just a handful of ingredients. Sometimes I don't share them here because they're not anything special, or they're so simple it's a stretch to assign the word 'recipe' to my instructions. Sometimes I'm simply embarrassed to show you what I threw in the skillet. Anyhow, on nights when I don't feel like doing much more than chopping an onion, nights when using two pans is one pan too many for me to face, I make this sort of fried rice. I can usually get everything prepped and ready-to-eat in under ten minutes. And while it is a simple preparation, there are a couple tricks I deploy to make sure everything comes together nicely. For example, I cook the eggs, on their own in a (toasted) sesame oil and olive oil blend before shredding the omelette into fluffy strips. The strips end up in the skillet alongside wild rice, tofu, onions, and pea shoots and keep their structure nicely. Another tip - I use the very best eggs I can buy.
As far as technique goes, there are as many ways to fry rice as there are cooks. I know many people crack their eggs straight into the skillet alongside the rice, but I have to argue for cooking and slicing the eggs separately. Like I mention up above, the eggs stay fluffy and separate from the rest of what is in the skillet when cooked first.
You can swap in whatever rice or grain you like, and whatever vegetables are in season. Don't feel limited by this version. I've used cooked millet, quinoa, and brown rice in the past - and we are coming up on that time of year where you can look for fresh peas, asparagus, or artichokes. For those of you who have Super Natural Cooking, there is a millet fried rice version in there - I think I scale back on the oil a bit in this version, but the approach is similar.
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Wild Fried Rice Recipe
Use your widest skillet here to get the eggs as thin as possible. Sometimes I brown the tofu first, sometimes I use it raw, and just toss it in the skillet toward the end to heat it up.
1 scant tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 scant tablespoon olive oil
3 - 4 good quality eggs, well beaten with a big pinch of salt
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
6 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, raw or browned in a skillet ahead of time
2 big handfuls of pea sprouts, chopped green beans or peas
1+ tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
In a large, clean skillet, heat the toasted sesame and olive oil. When they are nice and hot (but not too hot!), pour the eggs into the pan, count to ten, then gently swirl the pan to create a thin layer of egg evenly distribute across the pan. Cook this thin omelette for about 45 seconds or until it sets up. Fold the eggs over on themselves and cook for another 30 seconds or so (but avoid scorching) before transferring to a cutting board. Let it cool a bit, then slice into strips. Set aside.
Don't bother cleaning the skillet outright, just scrape or wipe out any remaining egg. There should still be enough residual oil to cook the onions over medium high heat for a minute or so. Stir in the wild rice and tofu and cook until heated. Now stir in the pea sprouts, and cook for 20 seconds. Gently add the eggs back into the skillet and finish by adding the tamari. Use a spatula to stir until the tamari works its way around the pan. Taste, and adjust - more salt (or tamari), or maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes...
Serves 2-3 as a main.
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Comments
Just what I need with a kitchen refurbishment going on. Many thanks I love all your recipes and my husband is most impressed with the meals I have made him from your e-mails. Many thanks
thanks Heidi..........
very interesting!
These recipes are so very helpful, especially when it's just me in my dorm kitchen. Thanks again!
Heidi, I was so happy seeing a new post when I opened my inbox this morning. I was waiting for it for couple days, after the popcorn one. I second others on simple recipes like these being most welcomed. I am always juggling between different roles like full-time employee, mom to a toddler, wife, maid(:)), and cook. Recipes like these come handy on days when I am feeling overwhelmed by demands of life. Please keep them coming. Plus, even the simplest ideas coming out of your foody brain are oh-so inspiring. love!! Gayatri
ditto on what JPR said and for Johan's sake add me to the list haha
I love absolutely anything with wild rice, so thanks so much for sharing! I used to make a wild rice dish for dinner parties when I lived in Mississippi...wild rice, white wine, and I can't remember what else, but it baked for an hour which was great, cause you could shag it in the oven and then go back to socializing! You've inspired me to dig up that old recipe, and to try this new one!!! Thanks!
The wild fried rice look so good and the picture of it is beautiful!
Yes, those are just the recipes we need. Thank you for the simple yet wonderful.
Yum! I am home on my own this weekend so have decided to try out a whole bunch of your recipes and this will definitely be one of them! On a separate note I tried your onion dip last weekend, my Boyfriend is a hug fan of Kraft french onion dip but was too ashamed to bring it our for our house warming so made up a batch of yours and it was a huge hit! Thanks for all the inspiration!
Hey ...I made this rice a few days aho...it came yummy...my mum loves it but minus eggs....:)
Heidi, funny I made something very similar the other night. One thing that goes really well with wild rice is black lentils (grown in almost the smae area) mix them together and cook at the same time. you get a nice nutty flavor!
This looks sooo good. I love these quick and easy recipes :)
Heidi, Thank you for sharing this quick, fuss-free and delightful recipe. Such recipes are really worth sharing and where one can be most creative. As a working person I usually resort to these quickly-thrown-together, one-pot- meals, using whatever is in the fridge/cupboard and am pleased to say have created some extremely delicious and satisfying meals. Whilst some may consider such recipes too humble and simple to share, they are often the most welcomed and user-friendly suggestions for readers. Again, thank you for sharing! I’ll certainly be trying out this one – I love that toasted sesame oil flavour which I find goes extremely well with fresh ginger. JPR
Heidi, thank you for doing what you do and sharing a part of you life with all of us who really enjoy your site. I'm South African and a long time fan of your site (but shamefully never commented before) and I was wondering how many of our good-food-loving citizens have discovered your wonderful site. You are special!
I'm with you on cooking the eggs separately for fried rice. I do the same and sometimes add green onion. I never thought to use wild rice for fried rice, but love the color.
Hey; This is just what i always did and nearly the same procedure with Indonesian classic fried rice (Nasi Goreng Kampung), but with adding a litle of sweet and salty soya beans (ABC Kecap Manis and ABC Kecap Asin) the taste is really YUMMY... Great Job Heidi!.
Very Good
Thank you for another wonderful recipe, Heidi! It is recipes like these - the simple, everyday, I-can-see-myself-making-this recipes - that keep me coming back to your site every time I need some inspiration for a weeknight meal. I plan to make this in the near future. And a beautiful photo, as usual!
YUM! I'll definitely be making this tonight...
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