Pork Fried Rice

A quick skillet of fried rice is one of the easiest, most satisfying ways to transform leftover rice into a complete meal. Here, we’ve added crumbles of ground pork, a couple of eggs, and whatever vegetable you’ve got in the freezer to create a winning dinner the whole family will enjoy. Here’s how to make it.

• It only takes 15 minutes to make. From start to finish, this pork fried rice takes about 15 minutes to cook for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner.
• Starting with ground pork reduces prep work. A lot of pork fried rice recipes call for pork cutlets, but ground pork provides the same savory flavor with no prep.

• Ground pork: Ground pork is what makes this recipe so quick. Most fried pork recipes call for pork cutlets, which take much longer to cook.
• Leftover rice: Freshly cooked rice isn’t as dry and therefore not as sticky.
• Frozen veggies: Peas and carrots are typically what’s included, but feel free to add your favorites to give the dish some color and snap.
• Soy sauce or tamari: Adds a salty flavor to complement the crumbly pork.
• Sesame oil: This is added at the end to give the dish an extra bit of nuttiness.
• Eggs: Though there’s no rule that you have to include scrambled eggs to fried rice, it adds protein, color, and that wonderful egg-y flavor.
• Onion: A small yellow onion is sautéed at the beginning of this recipe for added depth and flavor of this basic dish.

1. Scramble the eggs. Heat some vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the eggs and gently scramble with a rubber spatula until just softly set. Transfer to a bowl or plate and set aside.
2. Cook the ground pork. Add the diced onion, ground pork, kosher salt, and black pepper to the pan. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon into small pieces, until the pork is cooked through and the onion is tender.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Add the remaining vegetable oil and let heat for a few seconds. Add cold cooked rice, frozen peas and carrots, and soy sauce or tamari, and stir-fry until the rice is heated through. Return the eggs to the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted sesame oil.

If you’ve read our guide to cooking fried rice you know that old, cooked rice is actually a better choice for fried rice than starting with a pot of freshly cooked rice. This goes for both white and brown rice. As the rice sits in the fridge, the grains begin to dry out, which means they’re much less likely to stick together or get gummy or soggy when stir-fried.

If you notice that the rice is clumped together when you take it out of the fridge, just break it up with a fork or your hands before adding it to the wok or skillet.

• Freshly cooked rice: This recipe is best with day-old rice. But if the craving hits and you don’t have any prepared rice, you can make fresh rice, spread it out on a sheet pan, and refrigerate to cool.
• Protein: Swap the ground pork for tempeh, tofu, chicken, or shrimp.

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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