Fried Rice with Fava Beans and Carrots

A container of day old (or older) cooked rice is not a welcome sight in most refrigerators. However, this fried rice recipe may change your mind. The best rice for this would be Chinese style steamed rice -- homemade or take out. Sushi rice is also very good. Really, I think any precooked rice would work. The most time consuming part of this dish was prepping the fava beans. If you don't have fava beans or don't feel like prepping them you can substitute fresh or frozen peas. Just thaw them out before adding them to the rice.

How to prep the fava beans. So, here's the quick and dirty guide to prepping fava beans. First, you need to pop the beans out of the pod.

Then boil the beans in salted water for 3- 5 minutes. Let the beans cool. Then, pop them out of their skins with your fingers.

That wasn't so bad. Was it? This is a great job for tiny fingers so if you have child labor available use it! I do!

The rest of the preparation for this dish is very quick and very easy. Feel free to get creative about things you mix in at the end. Think of this dish as a way to use leftovers like cooked meat, cooked veggies, tofu, or any thing else you have lingering in your fridge. Just toss them into the pan after you have coated the rice with the eggs and let them quickly heat up in the pan.

To serve this, I like to put the fried rice in a bowl and sprinkle some toasted sesame oil and chilli garlic sauce on it. Scallions would also be a nice garnish. So, next time you make rice make a bit extra and make some fried rice.

Let me know if you discover other good combinations of meat or veggies for this dish. Have fun and enjoy!

Fried Rice with Fava Beans and Carrots

Inspired by a recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 cups of cold cooked rice

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 pound of fava beans, cooked and prepped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil (or neutral oil like vegetable oil)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil, plus a dash extra for serving

chilli garlic sauce to taste

1. Prep the fava beans (see above). Boil the carrots in salted water for about 3 minutes -- until tender but not mushy. Strain the carrots and set aside.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the rice, breaking up any clumps. Stir fry the rice allowing it to heat up and grow fragrant.

3. Push the rice over to one side of the pan and pour the eggs into the empty space in the pan. Allow the eggs to cook for a few seconds undisturbed until the bottom starts to set. Then stir the rice into the eggs, folding the rice and eggs over so the rice is evenly covered with egg. Add the fava beans and carrots and stir into the rice/egg mixture. Add the soy sauce and toasted sesame seed oil.

4. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame oil and chilli garlic sauce to taste.