veggie fried rice

Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something.

~Mitch Hedberg

I saw someone eating fried rice and orange chicken on the bus today and that was all it took for me to become fixated on having fried rice for dinner. I hadn't made it before, but I knew I wanted my version to have peas, carrots, eggs, and bean sprouts -- and lots of flavour. After looking up fried rice hints in my favourite cookbook and checking out real simple's recipe, I started chopping. As for the measurements, I'm trying to remember how much I put in of something after the fact (after it's been eaten, in fact) so please adjust for personal taste.

veggie fried rice
serves 4

1 1/2 C brown rice (I used a mix of brown and long grain white, but only 'cause I ran out of brown)
1/3 C low sodium soy sauce
1/4 C oyster sauce
1 Tbs ginger root, minced
dash of seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 Tbs brown sugar
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2- 3/4 C frozen peas, slightly thawed
3 scallions, diced
a few handfuls bean sprouts*
4 eggs
canola or vegetable oil

*bean sprouts are best cold and crispy. Try soaking them in cold water in the fridge while preparing the meal, so they get nice and crunchy.

Cook the rice according to package directions and set aside. (Doh! This step was a bit cumbersome for me since I had to use two types of rice with vastly different cooking times.) Meanwhile, mix together soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, and brown sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and drizzle a bit of oil. Crack four eggs into the pan and when they just start to set, break the yolks and lightly scramble with a flat wooden spoon or spatula. When eggs are mostly done, but still moist, remove from pan and set aside.

Drizzle a bit more oil into the same pan and add carrots, peas, and a couple tablespoons of the soy/oyster sauce mix. Saute for a couple minutes until the carrots are cooked to your desired crunchiness. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add a bit more oil to the hot pan, then add the rice, scallions, and remainder of the sauce. Stir to coat the rice. Heat for a minute, then stir in the vegetables and the eggs. Serve with crisp bean sprouts on top.