Cooking for one: Egg Fried Rice

So, I made the mistake of watching a cooking show just before lunch time.

Yes, V again did not come home for lunch.

Little knickknacks or a quick sandwich would not do now. (My maggi packets are over so those of course were out of the question).

I really think God takes my requests way too seriously.

I remember last week I was cribbing that I am just too busy with stuff, and have to rush with lunch everyday and envying my friends whose husbands don’t come for lunch, thus don’t have to be bothered with cooking. (I am a horrible wife, I know). And God just took my cribbing too seriously and decided to give into my demand.

They rightly say, be careful what you wish for, it might just come true!

What I did not realize before secretly hoping V does not come home for lunch is that, thanks to V, I get to eat healthy and proper food too. The lazy bum I am, there’s no way I would cook for myself. That is, unless I don’t do the mistake of watching cooking shows before meals.

Now, when you see hot steaming food served on these shows, there’s no way a sandwich can appeal to you anymore. You want hot steaming, filling food! But you also want to make something that would not require too much effort. And fried rice fit the bill perfectly.

I know that the best fried rice is made from a day old rice. But since I did not have that, I cooked fresh rice and put it in the freezer after letting it cool a little, and every now and then would remove it from the freezer to stir it, so that it cools all over and doesn’t crystallize from the top. The trick worked fine. It did require me to go to the kitchen more often than I would have liked but luckily, I just had to stay for a few seconds and could get back to watching non-sensical TV!

EGG FRIED RICE

Fried rice is a result of combining leftover rice with leftover anything else and turning it into a one-dish meal. Using leftovers also means that there are an infinite range of ingredients and flavours that can be combined to create new and interesting versions of fried rice. I have used, eggs, carrots, peas and corn but like I mentioned, feel free to use anything!

The best rice to use is leftover rice that’s been lying in the refrigerator for at least a day. This will turn the grains firm and get rid of the excess moisture. They will also be much easier to separate. If you cook with freshly-made rice, all you will get is “fried mush” instead of fried rice. If you can’t wait a day, at least let the rice cool for a few hours in an airy spot.

Also make sure the wok you use is hot. This recipe is good for 3-4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (oyster sauce is preferable but I did not have any)
• 1-2 tsp vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 cup Peas
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 4 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 cup rice, cooked and left overnight preferably (after cooking its approx 4 cups rice)

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil. Add the garlic, green chillies and ginger. Add onions. Saute on high flame.
2. Add the carrots, peas and corn. Saute till cooked.
3. Add the rice. Add 1 tbsp of oil to ensure that the rice does not stick.
4. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar, salt to taste and pepper.
5. Make a well in the middle of the fried rice, and add the beaten eggs in the well. Wait for a few seconds and then cover with the fried rice. Leave it for a few more seconds and continue to stir-fry so the eggs form small pieces and mix well with the fried rice.