When Kev and I eat out, we always tend to order one too many dishes and end up with leftovers. I like to think my habit of over-ordering is the reason why how he’s gotten so good at getting creative with random ingredients, but in all seriousness — it’s pretty admirable how he makes our leftovers taste even better the next day. Fried rice is one of my favourite ways to enjoy rice and our default dish when we want to purge the fridge together (cause you know, I like to throw everything into a salad when Kev’s not looking) especially when we have leftover rice; its quick, comforting, economical, and super customizable. We’ve come around to creating different variations, but this Green Onion Ginger Fried Rice is definitely high up there for me in terms of flavour.

We rarely cook the same fried rice (not including Kev’s signature Dungeness Crab Fried Rice or Unagi Fried Rice) because we always cook by taste but the contrast of green onion and ginger made this recipe super memorable so I had to recreate it and eat it again! Plus, I feel like both ingredients are considered as nutritious add-ons which totally justifies that extra serving of fried rice — so if you’re a fan of herbaceous flavours: this is the perfect recipe to keep you warm on a cold, cold night (cue Honne). It shares the same flavour profile as the ginger scallion sauce that you put on soy chicken, plus you get a tad more kick from the grated ginger. Most importantly, if I can recreate it, this recipe is pretty fool-proof.

Green Onion Ginger Fried Rice

serves 2-3

The secret to perfecting fried rice is using leftover rice that’s been hanging out in the fridge for at least a day. Otherwise, fresh rice tends to turn into an undesirable mush that no one wants to eat (learned that the hard way lols.) If you don’t have any leftover rice handy, cook a batch of rice let it cool for 1-2 hours before using it for fried rice. Scoop the rice into a large baking sheet or several large plates to let the rice dry out evenly.

We like to use baby ginger when it’s available because it’s easier to work with and doesn’t require peeling since it doesn’t have the tough, fibrous centre found in mature ginger roots. You should be able to find it at your local Asian grocer, we go to T&T Supermarket. Considering that baby ginger is less potent than regular ginger, I like the idea of being able to add more of it for maximum health benefits without it being overpowering.

I’d recommend subbing tofu for protein as a vegetarian option and adding extra veggies if you’d like. This rice is super fragrant and flavourful as is because of the green onion and grated ginger so you could totally enjoy it as a side dish without anything meaty in it. In this case, I added my leftover dumpling fillings from lunch cause … I had them in the fridge and I’m practicing #nofoodwaste.

Ingredients

1/4 cup neutral oil (we’re currently using grapeseed oil)
6 cloves of garlic chopped
2 stalks of green onion finely chopped
2” ginger grated or 3” baby ginger grated
2 cups jasmine rice (day old rice is always recommended)
5 eggs
Your choice of protein, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
Chilli flakes, salt & pepper to taste
Optional: thinly sliced birds eye chilli if you want more colour and spice

You can add any protein you’d like — I went with my leftover dumpling fillings.

Let’s begin

Heat up your pan to medium heat with 2 tbsp of oil. Add your protein of choice and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook for 6-7 minutes. Set aside. Note: if you’re using leftover meats like me, stir occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until they start to crisp up then set aside.
On the same pan, add another tbsp of oil. Stir in garlic, ginger, and birds eye chilli (optional) for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add more oil if needed, then add rice into pan. Major key if you’re using day old rice, break it up before adding it into the pan. Add soy sauce, chilli flakes, and season to taste.
Once your rice is heated through, make a well with your rice (hollow out the middle to make room for the eggs.) Add remaining oil into the centre, crack your eggs in, then scramble with a spatula real quick. (Yes, you can also beat your eggs in another bowl instead of scrambling in the pan — I’ve always watched Kev do it this way and it looks cool so I had to try it too).
Incorporate eggs with rice then throw your protein back in and mix her up real good. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Once you’re happy with the flavours and temperature, turn off the heat. Add most of the green onion in (I save a little for garnish) and stir it up until everything is evenly distributed.
Scoop rice into your favourite vessel, throw some more green onion for good measure and enjoy hot!