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Why I love this ham fried rice recipe
Things have been so crazy in our house lately. Between work, school and volunteer stuff, I’ve been struggling to get dinner on the table.
I know it seems ironic, because cooking is literally my job, but life with two little kids is no joke, especially now that we have extracurriculars in the mix.
Thankfully, we keep our fridge stocked with useful ingredients like Smithfield® Anytime Favorites® diced ham and frozen veggies so I can throw together meals like this in a hurry.
Last week, we had one of those days, and I threw together this fried rice recipe in under 30 minutes.
Ingredient notes:
- Leftover rice – You can use any leftover rice you have, but I prefer to use jasmine or white rice.
- Frozen peas and carrots – Feel free to use whatever kind of veggies you want, but I like the basic carrots and peas for a simple mix of veggies.
- Diced ham
- Eggs
- Green onion
- Sesame oil
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make fried rice with diced ham
Mise en place. This recipe cooks really quickly, so I recommend getting everything prepared before you start. Chop your onions, measuring your liquids and even scramble the eggs in a small bowl ahead of time.
This will help you feel less overwhelmed when cooking and even help keep your mess to a minimum.
Sauté the ham, green onions and garlic. Start by heating a large skillet or wok to medium-high. Add the oils and let the heat until they’re shimmering.
Add the green onion, ham and garlic to the pan and sauté until for a few minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Add the rice and soy sauce to the skillet, and stir until the rice is evenly coated with soy sauce and the oils from the pan. Break up any clumps in the rice up as you go.
More ham recipes: potato ham and leek soup / tater tot breakfast casserole / dairy free cobb salad recipe
Cook the egg. Create a small well in the fried rice by pushing the ingredients to the sides of the pan, and pour the scrambled egg into the hole. Allow the egg to cook, and gently stir within the well, until the egg has cooked.
Don’t worry if you accidentally pull in some of the other ingredients. It’s all going to get mixed in once the egg is cooked.
Add the frozen vegetables. Once you’ve mixed the cooked egg into the rice mixture, add the frozen veggies. It will take them a few minutes to cook, so give them time and stir as needed to prevent burning.
Adjust seasoning and garnish. When the veggies are hot, give the fried rice a taste, and adjust to your liking with additional soy sauce or salt & pepper. Before serving, garnish with extra green onion and sesame seeds (totally optional).
Frequently asked questions
Typically, fried rice is made with a medium grain rice, but we almost always cook with jasmine rice so that’s what we used for this recipe.
While you’re preparing your ingredients, spread the rice out on a plate or baking sheet to let it breath. You can also rinse your rice before cooking it (several times) to remove the starches that cause it to be sticky.
Most likely, it’s a moisture issue. Either you didn’t use dry enough rice or you introduced too much moisture when cooking. Never cover the rice after frying it.
Not necessarily, but using cold rice will help prevent the moisture and starches from coming out when frying, which will prevent mushy and clumpy rice.
Yes, you can absolutely freeze fried rice! I would recommend reheating it on the stove in a frying pan to keep it from getting mushy.
This recipe would be great with:
Ham Fried Recipe Recipe
Ingredients
For the fried rice:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 package Smithfield® Anytime Favorites® diced ham
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 3 cups cold, cooked rice
- 2 – 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 large eggs, scrambled
- 1 1/4 cup frozen peas and carrots
For garnish:
- Green onion, thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or wok to medium-high. Add olive oil and sesame oil and heat until shimmering.
- Add ham, garlic and green onion. Sauté until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in rice and soy sauce, breaking up rice as needed, until evenly coated, about 5 minutes.
- Make a well to cook the eggs in the middle of the pan. Add scrambled eggs, and stir within the well until cooked. Once cooked, stir egg into rice.
- Add frozen peas and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and garnish before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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