Vietnamese-style fried rice

What to do with leftover rice? If you use a rice cooker, you will always have leftover rice, ideal for Korean Bebimpap with its crave-making sweet/savoury bulgogi beef and sesame-scented vegetables, or quick fried rice meals such as this one by Calgary’s Julie Van Rosendaal.

“This is a bit of a spinoff of a recipe I found on Epicurious.” – Julie Van Rosendaal, dinnerwithjulie.com

  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 T fish sauce
  • 2 T rice vinegar
  • canola oil, for cooking
  • 5 c cold long-grain rice
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
  • big pinch dried red chili flakes
  • 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
  • 1-2 large carrots, coarsely grated
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 c bean sprouts (optional)
  • fresh cilantro and chopped salted peanuts, for garnish

Stir together the sugar, fish sauce and vinegar in a small bowl. Reserve. In a large, heavy skillet, heat a slick of oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook for a few minutes, until heated through. Push over to one side and pour in the eggs; stir-fry until the eggs are scrambled, allowing them to cook without mixing them into the rice completely (so that you end up with detectable bits of egg); add the chili flakes, then the green onions, carrots and garlic; cook for a few more minutes.

Pour over the fish sauce mixture, then add the bean sprouts and cook for a minute, tossing with tongs, just until heated through. Serve immediately, in shallow bowls topped with cilantro and peanuts.

Serves 4.