Green Eggs & Christmas ham fried rice

Servings: 6
The great thing about fried rice – especially this kind where it’s an all-in-bonanza, is that you can clear out plenty of the stuff in the fridge in one fell swoop… whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Using cooked then chilled rice is best here – it’s how you get that lovely al-dente texture expected of a fried rice. Make the rice a day ahead, or, if you’ve got a craving with no leftover rice, cook rice as you normally would, then spread on a tray and place uncovered in the fridge to cool before using.
If using yesterday’s prawns, make sure you give them a good whiff and a proper heat through – and the same goes for the ham if you’re looking at this recipe two weeks after Xmas day. The spring onion can be swapped for finely sliced onion if you’ve got this already – or shallots, for that matter. Coriander gives plenty of crunch and flavour, but if you’re not a coriander household, you could simply leave it out.
You’ll find kecap manis (sweet indonesian soy) at the supermarket, along with the rest of the condiments, or head to your local Asian grocer to stock up – and ask them for their favourite brands to get the inside word. If you’ve got roasted veg left over, feel free to chop that through as well – or instead of, if you’d prefer to keep your fried rice vego.
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Ingredients 

Green Eggs

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander stems reserving the leaves for garnish
  • 3 spring onions finely sliced, reserving a handful of sliced greens for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil such as peanut or rice bran
  • 340 g cubed ham or roughly chopped prawns or both!
  • 2 cups 300g frozen diced vegetables (no need to thaw)
  • 3 cups cooked and chilled jasmine rice
  • 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine optional but excellent

Fried rice sauce

  • 1-2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon kecap manis
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 25 g butter cubed

Garnish

  • Reserved spring onion slices
  • Reserved coriander leaves
  • Chilli oil optional but excellent

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, spring onions, coriander and soy sauce.
  • Heat a large heavy-based pan or wok on medium. Add half the oil and, when shimmering, add in the omelette mix and swirl around. The eggs should puff up right away and, when golden underneath but still not quite cooked on top, tuck into a roll and remove from the pan. It will finish cooking with residual heat (and when added back in!).
  • Continue to heat the pan and now crank the heat to medium-high. Add in the remaining oil and then tumble in the cubes of ham, chicken, pork or prawns (whatever you’ve got) , leaving them to settle and caramelise, then toss about to do the other side. When they are (mostly) all golden, add in the cooked rice and toss about really well to break up any clumps, making sure everything is well coated in the oil. Stir fry for about 5 minutes before adding the Shaoxing wine and diced (still frozen) vegetables, now stir fry this for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
  • Prepare the fried rice sauce by adding the garlic, ginger, soy oyster sauce, kecap manis, sesame oil and butter to a small bowl and set aside. The butter won’t emulsify, but don’t worry – this is what’ll give beautiful glossiness to the final result, and tell you that the fried rice is done!
  • Slice up the omelette and add it back into the pan, along with the fried rice sauce, breaking up the bits of omelette. Toss around until heated through and the butter has melted. Taste for seasoning, remember that the ham is very salty.
  • Pour onto a serving plate and garnish with coriander leaves and reserved spring onion. Serve chilli oil on the side (if using), along with extra soy sauce.

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