Fried Rice with Pork

After studying through several fried rice recipes, I ended up taking a little bit from each one and creating my own with what I had on hand.  And the meal turned out to be a hit; my husband filled his bowl 3 times, my son had 2 bowls, I had 1 1/2 bowls.  Uh, no leftovers whatsoever.  Even after eating his fill, my husband asked if we could have THIS fried rice on a regular basis.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

to make about 6 servings

Cook the rice, first

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add uncooked rice.  Toast rice in oil until lightly golden, careful not to burn it.  Stir in hot water, cover and REDUCE heat to Low.  Set the timer for 12 minutes and let rice simmer until all the water is absorbed.  Remove from heat.  Fluff rice, check for tenderness.  Keep covered until ready to use.

While the rice is cooking, prep the following ingredients.

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 bunch broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch bites
• 1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks or julienned
• 2 green onions, chopped

• 2 cups cooked ham steak, cut into bite size strips

Wet ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten

Set aside in a bowl.

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• juice from 1/2 lemon

Mixed together and set aside in a bowl.  Taste to make sure there's a nice balance of soy sauce to lemon.  One should not overpower the other.

• neutral tasting oil for stir frying

Is everything cut up? Rice is tender?  Good, let's stir fry!

Heat a large skillet with 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.  Add chopped yellow onion and minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until softened.

Add the broccoli and carrots, stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add cooked pork and stir fry until pork is heated through, another 2 minutes.

Push the mixture to the outer edge of the pan, making the center of the pan clear.  Add 1 tablespoon oil, allow to heat up a few seconds, then add beaten eggs.  Cook until scrambled into small lumps.

Add 3/4 of the cooked rice to the skillet, along with the chopped green onions.  Continue to stir and toss, to coat with oil and prevent from sticking.

Add the soy sauce-lemon mixture and mix well.  Continue to fry until rice is thoroughly heated.  Serve it up in individual bowls or one big family size bowl.  Garnish with extra chopped green onions.