Whenever we go out to eat, I always try to make sure we get something we couldn’t just simply make for ourselves at home. Usually that ends up being fun ethnic food with specialty ingredients – our favorites being Ethiopian, Mexican, and Asian food. But sometimes I like to try to make my own version at home – leaving me feeling a whole lot lighter, and yet still totally satisfied.
Healthy Un-Fried Rice
Ingredients: (makes 2 large main dish servings, or 4 side dish servings)
- 1 cup dry brown rice
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (divided)
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 fresh egg
- salt to taste
To Prepare: Start by preparing the brown rice. No surprise here – I made mine in my rice cooker (seriously – get one). If you are making it on the stovetop, add 1cup dry brown rice and 2 cups water to a sauce pan. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has cooked away.
While you wait for the rice to cook, go ahead and prep the rest of the ingredients – once you get started this recipe moves quickly! Dice the carrots and measure out the edamame (frozen is fine). In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce. Set aside until ready.
Once the rice is cooked, add 1 tbsp sesame oil to a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
Then add the rice to the skillet and stir often. “Fry” the rice for about 5 minutes to help give it that great fried rice texture, and to incorporate the great flavors of the sesame oil.
Next add the diced carrots and the edamame,and stir to combine.
Traditional fried rice has peas rather than edamame, but I chose to use edamame for this recipe because it is a complete protein all by itself, and personally I like the taste better. (The combination of rice and peas should together form a complete protein too, so if you prefer peas in your fried rice – go for it.)
Stir the edamame and carrots in, mixing frequently so that everything is cooked through. After a few minutes, add the sesame-soy mixture…
And quickly stir to coat – the sauce should sizzle and steam!
Now comes the fun part – the signature characteristic of traditional fried rice is the scrambled egg, right? Making it yourself is probably a lot easier than it seems. Using your spatula, push the rice to the sides of the skillet, forming a hole in the middle of the pan.
While the pan is still nice and hot, crack an egg right in the center of that space – it should start to scramble right away.
Use a spatula to break the yoke and quickly scramble the egg… (very difficult to do while also taking pictures with the other free hand!)
For my vegan friends, don’t worry – the egg can easily be substituted with tofu. Cut the tofu into small cubes and drop into the hot skillet, breaking it up with your spatula in order to give it the same “scrambled” effect.
If needed, season to taste with additional salt (probably not needed though because of the soy sauce), and serve in your favorite Asian-style bowl!
Of course if you enjoy chicken or shrimp fried rice, those can easily be added to suit your preference. Although I personally think this version is mighty tasty all by itself. :)
I love eating out in Chinese restaurants, but I hate how weighed down (and for some reason still hungry?) I always feel afterwards. This recipe provides all the taste of traditional Chinese food, without the unpleasant side effects.
So next time you’re craving take out – consider making your own before you dial the delivery boy. Chances are the ingredients are already in your kitchen.
Bonus points for eating with chopsticks.
Enjoy!
77 Comments so far
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Looks incredible! I’ve done things similar to this but always forget about the egg! That’s the best part too!
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Yum! Fried rice is major comfort food. I don’t care that I’m hungry an hour later. It’s worth and just leaves room for more fried rice.
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Exactly, hence the 2 or 4 servings comment. Should really read: normal people would eat this in 4 servings, but Casey and I ate the entire pan in ten minutes.
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Yum! I love how this recipe is flexible – you could totally use whatever veggies you want, or add chopped hot pepper if you are a spicy-food adict like me.
Also, I think this would be FASTER than ordering take-out, because like you said, everything is probably on-hand.
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I have never been able to master chopsticks :/
I am all over frozen edamame lately, I’ve been adding it to everything…now I have something else to add it to!
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Emily Malone Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Me either – took me about ten minutes to get that photo. :)
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ms Reply:
December 30th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
i’m asian and find it super hard to eat fried rice with chopsticks! i always use a spoon when eating it at home haha
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Oooooh!!! Fabulous recipe. Of course I love that you mixed an egg in. :)
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I LOVE a good fried rice dish, and I don’t make it often enough. Thanks for the reminder!
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That’s one of my favorite dishes! It’s very good with chopped green or napa cabbage, too.
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I got a rice cooker for Christmas! I feel like my life is about to change… =)
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I make fried rice like this all the time but I never thought to put edamame in it! Love that idea!
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Looks good. Can I use frozen endamanes? I have everything but the endamanes. Just bought Tofu yesterday. Maybe this weekend I will have more time not working. We’re off 2 days in a row yeah!!! Never happens always work every Saturday.
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yum! We got a rice cooker a few weeks ago for a belated wedding gift and we’re already obsessed! :)
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This looks delish. Not sure why, but I always crave fried rice dishes around the New Year, so I’m adding it to my list. I love that there aren’t a million ingredients, and that I already have everything I need in my kitchen!
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I have the same rice cooker, although I think mine might be smaller, and I use it the most out of any wedding present that we received. I’m sort of shocked by that, but it’s true.
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Mmm, I want this for dinner. I prefer using hoisin sauce over soy sauce, though. So much flavor!
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We make fried rice all the time here. It is a family favorite. We don’t even add soy sauce (since I can’t have it), but the boys add it to their bowls. We love making lettuce wraps with fried rice and adding rooster sauce! Perfect meal. Yours looks delicious!
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Mmmmm looks great! I usually try to keep away from fried rice and this looks like a great alternative!
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I make something similar and am totally addicted to it – it’s also so easy to make it gluten-free by using tamari or even soy-free by using coconut aminos or azuki or chickpea tamari :)
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making your own and not calling delivery b/c you already have it in your cupboard…AMEN girl! that is so true about sooo many recipes.
love this creation of yours!
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Yumm!! Our NYE plans are shaping up to look like chinese carryout and Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve… so maybe I’ll have to whip this batch up!
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I remember the first time I made fried rice at home. I looked at the recipe and was like, “Huh? There’s egg in fried rice?” I felt like such a dummy. :-)
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Nice one!! I too love fried rice but that greasy feeling never sits well. This looks like a major improvement on an old favorite!
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Yum! I am totally impressed by this!
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It’s still fried rice. :P Not unfried rice. The greasy feeling comes from the poor choice in oil that is used for the stir fry, as well as MSG or other unnatural flavorings.
The key to a great fried rice though is using day old rice! :P
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That looks really good. Thanks for sharing!
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My husband loves fried rice, so I’ll have to try this out- especially since I happen to have all those ingredients right now!
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I make almost this exact recipe, edamame and all! I started packing it in my lunch when I was in grad school. It’s so good! Sadly, no one got us the rice cooker on our wedding registry so it will be the next small kitchen appliance I purchase.
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This looks so great! Quick question- are rice cookers good for just single or double servings? All the ones I see recommended online seem quite big for one person….Thanks!
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I think I just found what I’m making for dinner tonight! Thanks!
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Ok. next you have to teach us how to eat with chopsticks! I am so clueless!
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Thanks for the recipe! This seems like a great recipe, can’t wait to try!
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Love the sound of this! Thanks for sharing! I have sort of a dumb question…If I wanted to add shrimp to this recipe when would I do that? With the carrot and edamame?
Thanks :)
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funny, im going to have real chinese food right now and i would MUCH prefer your healthy version!
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Looks wonderful and so easy!
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I’ve been wanting to try making fried rice! Thanks for the inspiration. I always thought you had to use leftover (cold) rice but your version looks much faster!
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wow emily this looks great! haven’t had fried rice in forever, never thought of cooking it in a bit of sesame oil. thank you for sharing!
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What a easy and yummy recipe indeed– I’m definitely on the asian/ thai kick right now, so I may be steeling this idea in the near future :-)
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I loove this recipe! You always have the best recipes- simple, vegetarian, delicious. I can’t wait to try it!
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That looks delicious! I also hate that about Chinese food restaurants. I always feel like I ate a grease ball and yet I’m still hungry!
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oooh this looks really great. my husband loves chinese so i should make this for him sometime soon!
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Emily – your very first comment about eating out sounds like me. Only I have more difficulty because of my allergies! I love how simple this recipe is – I will definitely make it for my mom sometime – she LOVES fried rice.
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Fried rice is my husbands favorite meals but he especially loves the greasy kind he can get at our favorite Thai restaurant. I think I need to start making a healthier version at home.
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Looks delicious! My husband makes a similar dish and I absolutely love it! Easy on the budget too :-)
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i was JUST about to order pizza when my cousin texted me asking for a veggie appy recipe, so i came to my favourite veggie site to look for her… i just got back from 10 days away and have barely anything fresh in my fridge … but i have all these things and it’s currently cooking on my stove!!! thank you!!!
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Yum this actually sounds really good. I haven’t had fried rice in ages!
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This is pretty much exactly how my husband and I make fried rice, except that we use Trader Joe’s Organic Foursome (frozen aisle) for our veggies. Never thought about throwing some edamame in… I like that idea! We usually have a bag of shelled edamame in our freezer anyway.
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this was so good! thanks for sharing. i used tofu instead of the egg. crumbled it first and tossed it with a few tsp of nutritional yeast. then tossed it in. amazing!
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Sounds perfect!
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I got a rice cooker for christmas after seeing all of the amazing things you have made with yours. So far I have made Korean style rice and steel cut oats for breakfast! I’m totally addicted to the thing. Thanks for convincing me it was a must need appliance :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Ooooh I am so glad you got one! And even more glad that you like it. :)
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Just made this recipe the other day and it was awesome! I used the vegetables I had on hand (portabellas and green pepper), rather than the carrots and edamame and it still turned out great. Thanks for sharing!!!
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 7:33 pm
mmmmm that sounds delicious!
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This looks amazing. I never thought of putting edamame in fried rice. What a great idea! I’ll be trying this soon. Thanks for sharing!
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I just made this and it’s a definite favorite! Thanks for teaching me how to make this!
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I’m so glad you liked it – yum!
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Oh wow – I’m so saving this recipe for later! Thanks for sharing Emily!
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I made this recipe last night (with diced up chicken), and it was a HUGE success! My husband loved it and was sad when it was all gone. Definitely something I will make again! It’s nice to be able to add another dish to my cooking repertoire since it’s pretty limited right now :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Yum – so glad you guys liked it!! Hope you’re doing well. :)
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[...] But despite the weird first impression, the food was actually better than expected. There was a hot buffet…with three items. Casey and I decided to split two sides and each get a sandwich. We started with tofu fried rice which was good, but my version is better. [...]
I made this tonight – so delicious and I thought it was better than the unhealthy version. Thanks!!
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
So glad you liked it!
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Just as a suggestion- I like to make my “fried” rice just like yours only I add a bit of minced ginger and garlic to the rice while it’s getting carmelized. I also like to finish it with a splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar. And I agree with Bridget- it really is tastier than the kind you get from a take-out place!
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 22nd, 2011 at 10:39 am
Good ideas!
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[...] Seeing Emily’s fried rice made me what to make some. I did my own thing, because it’s not my first fried rice [...]
I have already lost count of how many times I’ve made this recipe- Thank you so much! It’s really good with fresh Duck eggs from the local Co-op :)
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[...] to be a bit complex and have a long list of ingredients. So when I found Emily’s easy to make Healthy Un-Fried Rice, I had to make it to see if using less ingredients still would taste as [...]
i just made this tonight for dinner – so good and so easy!! thanks for sharing this!
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[...] “Fried” Rice [from About.com and Daily Garnish] printable [...]
[...] Veggie Fried Rice recipe adapted from Daily Garnish [...]
I just made this (and subbed coconut oil because my options were olive or coconut) and it would be SO FREAKING DELICIOUS if I didn’t burn the rice. Whoops! I’m still eating it.
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This will be a new staple….I added small diced cubes of tofu. Love love it
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Emily Malone Reply:
January 22nd, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Glad to hear it!
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This is a recipe of delicious dreams – absolutely gorgeous my friend (swoons at the dinner table) :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Can I just say what a relief to discover somebody who really understands
what they’re discussing on the internet. You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people have to read this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you are not more popular given that you definitely have the gift.
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[...] real life change. Stuck in a take out rut? Start with How to Bake Brown Rice, and use it to make Healthy Un-Fried Rice or Mixed Mushroom Chowder. Whole civilizations thrived on rice, so I can’t understand [...]
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