Fun with fried rice

Whether it's veggie-fried rice as a side dish with skewers of marinated & grilled chicken or loaded up with cubes of baked tofu or chicken, fried rice is a weekly dinner favorite in our house. To be honest, I think I could serve it every other night for a few weeks before getting any complaints.

It's easy to make, and cooking the rice in the morning while packing lunches means super speedy prep for dinner. Just 15-20 minutes to a homemade one-dish meal. What more could a mom ask for on a busy sports / music / homework night?

Last week, I saw a photo of Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu over at Running with Food. It looked delicious. I've served tofu fried rice, with edamame succotash on the side, so this sounded like a good fit for the family.

The combination for the liquid was a little different than what I usually fix. I usually use a little bit of chicken or vegetable stock (ice cube form, stored in freezer), and add a bit of soy sauce and ginger. RWF's recipe uses soy sauce and more ginger than I use (garlic and red pepper flakes optional), so the flavor is just a little different. Without the extra broth, the rice was ready a few minutes faster - and I can't say I noticed any lack of the flavor for skipping it.

There were only a couple of things I changed in making this. First, I used an egg, not egg substitute. Second, the kids prefer tofu with a sturdier texture, so the tofu was pressed for an hour or two, to remove some of the water, then cubed and stir-fried in garlic sesame oil.

It was really tasty, and will probably be repeated around here sometime soon. Now, to see what else RunningWithFood is cooking.....