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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Chinese Style Fried Rice

I have been using this recipe for years! I love it - mainly because it's fast, easy, and delicious. A bonus is that it's a one-pot recipe and one dish meal (less clean up!). I mostly just guess-timate with the amounts, so feel free to do that when you make it too - - you know what YOU like! (:


1/3 block of extra firm tofu
1/4 tsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
pinch of turmeric
1/8 tsp each (or to taste): dried oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp of vegetable oil

2 cups of cooked (and cooled) brown rice
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger root, grated or minced
2 carrots, shredded or finely julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (or any other veggies you have on hand like broccoli or squash)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen edamamde
2 bunches of bok choy, green section sliced
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

Press the tofu: place tofu between two folded dish towels and put a plate or skillet on top, add a couple of cans of beans (don't open!) and let sit for 10 minutes or while you get everything else ready; this will get the "extra" water out of the tofu and make it ready to soak up the sauce and flavors of what you are cooking it with.

Put a skillet over medium to medium high. Using the pressed tofu, crumble between your fingers into a bowl. You want something similar to the size / texture of scrambled eggs. Add Braggs aminos (or soy sauce), spices, and nutritional yeast. Stir well to mix. Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil into the warmed skilled over medium high, add tofu and let sit for a minute or two then begin stirring. The tofu should turn yellow where it's hot. Continue cooking and stirring to get the the consistency that you like (I let mine almost brown because that's the way that I used to like my eggs).

Push tofu to one side of the pan, turn pan up to high, and add onion, let cook 3 - 4 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and ginger, stirring, for 1 minute, add in remaining veggies and stir constantly, 3 - 4 minutes. Add in rice, stirring to combine, and incorporate tofu. Cook until rice is warmed through, approximately 3 - 4 minutes, add in frozen peas, edamame, and bok choy, let warm (and let bok choy begin to wilt), approximately 2 - 3 minutes more. Add water and Braggs (or soy sauce), stir to combine and serve.

Make approximately 4 servings as a main entree.