Whenever I need something quick and easy, I usually go with fried rice. I almost always have leftover white rice sitting around in the fridge.
If you got extra tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegetables, whatever, toss that in too. If you don’t have any of that or even if you do, don’t forget the freezer – I always have frozen peas, corn, or mixed vegetables on hand.
Over the years, I’ve thrown in some interesting ingredients. Ones that stuck – minced ginger and salted preserved turnip. And nowadays, I leave out the soy sauce, I prefer just a bit of salt instead.
Vegetarian BBQ Pork Fried Rice
Serves 1 as a meal or 2 as part of a meal
2 pieces salted turnip, rinsed and sliced
2 pieces veggie bbq pork, cubed
3/4″ piece of ginger, minced
1 cup cold cooked white rice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup frozen white corn kernels
Salt to taste
1 green onion stalk, chopped
Heat the wok to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the salted turnip and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the rice, breaking up the large chunks so the grains are separated, stir-frying for about a minute or so.
Then add the bbq pork, ginger, peas and corn. Mix well and continue stir-frying for 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste and add the green onions. Combine well and serve immediately.
Does your wok look like this when you’re done cooking the fried rice?
Mine does. That delicate, toasted rice crust sticking to the bottom of the wok is the best part, it’s called noan in Cantonese. It’s the same rice crust that forms when cooking rice in a pot. Growing up, my siblings and I fought over who got the biggest piece.
Use a spatula to scrape the crispy pieces out of the wok and sprinkle on top of the fried rice. It adds a nice bit of flavored crunchiness. It’s best to do it as soon as you finish cooking as it’s easiest then to get the crust out. Be careful as the wok will still be very hot.
Philippa O says
ooo yes, the crispy bits are so good! this looks like a really tasty simple recipe
pat says
This looks so delicious- I can’t wait to try it. Thanks!!!
crystal says
Oh, this looks so delicious! Yummy :)
lisa (show me vegan) says
what a colorful dish. Gorgeous presentation!!
Val says
I love the look of your fried rice dish! Enough so that this carnivore will be looking for the ingredients when I’m out shopping this week. It looks so tasty & I’ve always been curious what vegan ‘meat’ tastes like. Thank you for sharing your recipe & tempting photograph on Food Gawker. ;o}
in2insight says
Hi – looks awesome.
Where do you get the veggie bbq pork?
Never seen that…
Thanks
chow says
Philippa O – Thanks! I love the rice crust. Way back when, before I had a rice cooker and I cooked rice in a pot, I use to eat the rice crust first before the rest of the meal. :-) LOL
pat – Thanks! Do give it a try, it’s pretty simple and a great way to use up leftovers.
crystal – Thank you!
lisa (show me vegan) – Thanks Lisa!
Val – Thanks, it’s a great dish to try out vegan meat as the pieces are small. :-)
in2insight – Thanks, I get the veggie bbq pork at an Asian supermarket called Marina. They have several locations in the SF Bay Area, different stores have different stuff. I’ve only seen it at the Cupertino location.
Carrie says
Oh yum!! That photo is gorgeous!! And I agree, the crusty bits are delicious.
plasticwool says
looks delicious!
Jodye says
This looks sooo good. Why is it that leftovers are always so delicious!
vegan.eating says
out of curiosity, how big is “a piece” of salted turnip? bought a package of it just for this recipe! there were several 6″ long slices in the pack.
chow says
Carrie – Thanks! Yup, crustys are the best!
plasticwool – Thank you!
Jodye – Thanks, leftovers are delicious cuz they got nothing to do but sit around and let their flavors develop. :-)
vegan.eating – You can use just one of the bigger 6″ pieces or a couple of the smaller ones. Basically, it adds some flavor, crunch and saltiness so not too much – maybe start out with a little to see how you like it. This post has a shot of the salted turnip out of the bag http://chowvegan.com/2008/04/25/king-oyster-mushrooms-with-snow-peas/
Melissa says
Looks delicious! Out of curiosity, what kind of WOK is that? Is it cast-iron and where can I get one?
chow says
Melissa – Thanks! It’s a super old wok, I think it’s a Calphalon. It’s not cast-iron, it’s probably hard-anodized aluminum. I’m actually shopping around for a new wok. :-)