Using up leftovers

Do you have a favorite way of using up leftovers? I almost always make fried rice. I don’t think I’ve ever made two versions of fried rice that were exactly the same b/c I really do just throw whatever I have available into it. It’s funny, because when I was a kid, I refused to eat my mom’s fried rice. I liked my rice completely plain and for the meat and veggies to be separate. It wasn’t until I grew up, got married, and started working full-time that I finally appreciated the value of fried rice. It not only helps you get rid of leftovers, but is also very quick to come together and is a complete meal on its own, with protein, grains, and veggies. And, when it’s made at home, you can control the amount of oil used and it’s not nearly as unhealthy as getting it as takeout.

The fried rice pictured here contains 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 carrot, 2 celery stalks, 1/2 cup baby corn, 1 andouille sausage, 1 hot dog, 2 eggs, and 2 slices of Canadian bacon. As you can see in my picture above, I dice everything in pretty small pieces so that everything cooks quickly.

One crucial component to fried rice is the rice – the best rice to use is leftover rice that was in the fridge overnight. The grains don’t separate as nicely with fresh rice. Plus, the point is to use leftovers. I don’t think there’s really a need for a recipe. It’s more of a method – I usually heat up about 1 tsp of oil in my wok and stirfry the meats/proteins to brown them and render fat out of them. Then I add all the veggies, stirfry for another minute or two until everything is softened, make a space to scramble the eggs in the wok, and then add the rice. The rice may be in clumps when it’s cold out of the fridge, but when it warms up in the wok, the grains will separate. I usually season with a few dashes of soy sauce and then finish it off with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. A simple, quick, and delicious weeknight meal. I served this with a tofu dish that I’ll share in a future post.