Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Cafe--Chinese Fried Rice

Some aspects of China and the Chinese culture may not be real popular right now, due to the political leaders and biomedical engineers who purportedly developed a nasty disease to kill multimillions of people.  However, some of their food (at least the Americanized versions) are to die for.  Bad pun.  Sorry.

Seriously, though, food fatigue is real, and judging by reports I'm reading online, it's already hitting some people hard.  Being able to make a variety of dishes with basic food storage items is a substantial blessing.  The most critical item here that is less likely to be commonly stored is sesame oil.  If you happen to see some when you venture out for shopping, don't hesitate to pick up a bottle.

First up is fried rice.  Good eats.  We're talking serious happiness in a skillet here.  A few more Chinese food recipes will be posted on Saturdays in the next month.

Pork Fried Rice

5 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups cold rice (yes, it has to be cold)
1 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped ham

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons broth

1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil

To a large skillet over high heat, add one tablespoon peanut oil.  Pour in the eggs and mix with the oil.  Add salt and cook just until done.  Remove from heat and put eggs into a bowl.  Add two tablespoons peanut oil to the same skillet over high heat.  Add rice and green onions, cooking and stirring for five minutes.  Add ham, broth, and soy sauce, cooking one more minute.  Stir in eggs and pepper and remove from heat.  Stir in sesame oil and serve.

These are all food storage items for us.  If you've got fresh eggs, those are best.  Powdered eggs look gray and sad.  Green onions are pretty easy to grow in gardens.  If necessary, they can be dried and rehydrated for this dish.  Only a little ham is needed; open a can or rehydrate some freeze-dried.  Sesame oil is absolutely critical to the flavor, so don't skimp on that.

 4.25.20