TIP OF THE DAY: Quinoa Fried Rice

April 14, 2015 at 8:33 am · Filed under Recipes, Rice-Beans-Grains-Seeds, Tip Of The Day

Fried rice is a typically made from leftover steamed rice, stir-fried in a wok with leftover vegetables and meats. This leads to countless variations, not just in China but throughout the Pacific Rim.

There’s American fried rice (with sliced hot dogs, popular in Thailand), curry fried rice, Filipino garlic fried rice, Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng), kimchi fried rice and much, much more. Take a look.

Then, perusing some online photos from PF Chang’s, we found this photo of quinoa fried rice, topped with a fried egg. So today’s tip is:

When you have leftover cooked grains of any kind, turn them into “fried rice.”

Of course, you don’t need leftovers. You can cook the grains from scratch for the recipe. In addition to those you commonly cook, this is an opportunity to try something new from this list:

Barley

Buckwheat

Bulgur

Couscous

Farro

Kasha

Rice (black, brown, red, wild, white)

Quinoa

Have “fried rice” topped with an egg for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Photo courtesy PF Changs.

RECIPE: QUINOA FRIED RICE

If you want to serve a cooked egg on top of the quinoa, you can opt to leave out the raw eggs that get scrambled into the grain at the end. We prefer using both.

You also can add leftover corn, beans, or what-have-you. If the item is soft (cooked zucchini, e.g.), add it at the end to warm it, without cooking it further.

And of course, dice any leftover meat or seafood and add it at the end, also to warm.

Ingredients For 3 Servings

2½-3 cups cooked* quinoa or other grain

1½ tablespoons teriyaki sauce

2½ tablespoons soy sauce

¾ teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

¼ small onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 scallions, chopped and divided

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs, raw

½ cup peas, fresh, cooked or frozen/thawed

Optional: 3 eggs, cooked

*If cooking from scratch for this recipe, cool the grain to room temperature, or preferably overnight in the fridge.

Quinoa grows in black, red and white varieties. Above, raw white quinoa seeds. Photo by Methyl Soy | Wikimedia.

Preparation

1. MIX the sauce: Combine the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. FRY or poach the eggs and keep warm.

2. HEAT ½ tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté or frying pan over a high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook for two minutes.

4. ADD 2/3 of the scallions, the garlic and the ginger to the pan. Cook for another two minutes. Add the rest of the olive oil and the quinoa. Stir-fry about two minutes.

5. ADD the sauce and stir-fry until incorporated, about two minutes. Make a well in the center of the quinoa; add the raw eggs and stir to scramble.

6. ADD the peas and stir until they are warmed through. Top with the optional fried/poached egg, garnish with the remaining scallions and serve.

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