My Favorite Stir Fried Rice

My Favorite Stir Fried Rice

This recipe comes from my favorite American-Asian cookbook. I was introduced to this dish, and the cookbook from which it comes, Chopstix, through a dear friend and wonderful cook during one of her dinner parties. Needless to say, I scooped up the cookbook shortly thereafter and have been cooking from it ever since. This one-of-a-kind  rice dish includes a unique sauce plus plump sweet raisins and pine nuts. If you like your food spicy, you can add more chili sauce, otherwise you have a nice savory and sweet stir fry.

Rice:
4 cups cooked rice
1 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 large, fresh shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
3 green onions (scallions), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted at 325 degrees for about 5 minutes, until light golden brown)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 c canola oil

Sauce:
3 T tomato sauce
2 T dry sherry
1 T oyster sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t Sambal Oelek (Chinese chili paste) or more, to taste

Soak the raisins in vinegar for 1 hour and then drain vinegar

Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Heat non-stick wok or frying pan on high, add 1 T oil, and scramble the eggs

Transfer the eggs to a platter and break into bite size pieces

Add remaining 3 T oil to the pan and add the vegetables, stir frying until the pepper brightens (1-2 minutes)

Add the rice and raisins to the pan and stir fry along with the vegetables for 1 minute

Add the sauce to the wok and incorporate well for 30 seconds

Add the eggs and pine nuts to the wok and stir fry until they are well incorporated and warm (1-2 minutes.

Serves 8.  This recipe can be reduced by half.


Source:  Adapted from Chopstix, by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison.