Vegetable Fried Rice with Chili Oil

Hello again!

It's been a while since I posted! I was studying for boards and things just were crazy.  But all that's done and the most demanding rotation is behind me, so hopefully I can get back to cooking and posting about delicious concoctions. Now this recipe is one of my favorite quick eats, mostly because I always have leftover rice and its always a great way to getting rid of random things that you might have in fridge. This recipe is with fresh veggies, but honestly, you can use just about anything. The only things I would stay away from are things that tend to give off a lot of water, like zucchini/squash and most greens. You want the veggies to maintain their crispness. Now, the chili oil is definitely optional, but I think its the secret to making this dish a notch above your generic fried rice. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 bunch scallions, white part 1/2 cm long, green part 1 inch long
1 broccoli head, cut into smaller florets
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
5 cups of slightly undercooked Jasmine Rice, preferably cooked in a rice cooker. 
Soy sauce to taste (see chili fish recipe for my preferred brand)
1 tablespoon chili oil (adjust depending on spice tolerance)

Directions:
1. Start the rice cooking in the rice cooker. I would use slightly less water than you normally use so that the rice is still a bit firm when the cooker stops cooking. This way, it does not turn to mush when you fry it in the wok. 

2. Heat 1 Tbsp of the sesame oil in a wok (or any pan with high sides) on high heat. Careful! Sesame oil heats much faster than other oil. 

3. Add in all the sliced veggies and stir quickly, coating all the veggies in oil evenly. Keep stirring to make sure none of veggies are sticking to the wok, but it does not need to be continuous. Add a little bit of soy sauce to taste.

4. When the vegetables are cooked through, lower the heat and add the cooked rice into the wok and stir. Before adding the rice, make sure the veggies haven't released too much water. If there are more than two tbsps of water, spoon it out. 

5. Add in the rest of the sesame oil, the chili oil and soy sauce to taste. Cook for 3-5 min. Stir! Plate! Consume!

I would strongly suggest playing around with different ingredients and proportions with this recipe. I've used bell pepper, bamboo shots, lotus root, increased the rice proportion, added less chili oil, etc., depending on what I had on hand. If you do decide to add protein, I may cook it separately and add it in with the rice because your vegetables will cook long before the meat does. The only thing that I've been consistent on is using sesame oil. I love the flavor that it gives to the rice and the smell is just so tantalizing! Everyone in your home will come running!