Fried Rice For A Crowd

We had seven friendly faces here for Sunday Supper last night. (Yes, once again I’m posting Eggcellent Sunday on a Monday…oh well :-))  It was also movie afternoon, with a showing of the first part of Lawrence of Arabia going on in the living room while I cooked. Much to Excellent Husband Don’s chagrin (it’s one of his favorites) this movie is completely lost on me.  Sand. Men in robes.  More sand.  Camels. More sand.  War.  And…you guessed it, more sand.

I was watching one of my favorite movies, Elf, on the kitchen TV while I cooked.  (Yes, I AM lucky Don stays married to me.)  I wondered why they were showing it in March for about two seconds, gave up trying to figure that out, and just enjoyed watching it for about the millionth time.

On to the fried rice.  I must say it takes me, girl with slow knife skills, a long time to chop everything.  But the final assembly is fast and it’s quite yummy!

Quick note – I have a ginormous skillet.  If you don’t have one, you’ll probably need to do the final step in two batches.

Fried Rice For a Crowd – Serves eight 

• 1 container of extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2 inch squares
• 2 small onions, diced
• 1 carrot, chopped, about 1/2 cup
• two jalapenos, finely minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup finely minced or grated fresh ginger
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and dark green parts separated
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 cups cold cooked rice, I use basmati
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• vegetable oil
• teriyaki sauce
• soy sauce
• salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet on high heat. Put in the tofu, drizzle with teriyaki sauce and toss to coat. Saute until a little crispy on the edges, about eight minutes.  I use a lid because this gets messy.  Transfer to a plate when done.

Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet.  Add the diced onion, carrot and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about two minutes until onion is fragrant.  Add garlic, ginger and scallion whites and cook for two more minutes.  Add the peas and corn.  Cook until heated through but still crisp.  Transfer all this to a large bowl.

Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet.  Add the eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Stir eggs until just set and still moist.  Transfer eggs to bowl of veggies.  Add the tofu.  Stir to combine it all into a joyous, healthy bowl of love.  Set aside.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in the skillet.  Add the rice to the pan and drizzle with soy sauce. Toss to coat.  Stop stirring and let the rice cook undisturbed for two or three minutes until crispy on the bottom.  Stir, then let it cook undisturbed for two or three more minutes.   Add scallion greens and cilantro and stir.  Add the veggies and cook until it’s all hot – just a minute or two.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Serve!

I served this with homemade potstickers and those also take a while to make.  With all that chopping and dicing it was a whole afternoon in the kitchen, but I think it was totally worth it! Enjoy!

(Shared at Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, You’re Gonna Love It Tuesday, Down Home Blog Hop, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, The HomeAcre Hop, Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop and The Ole’ Saturday Homesteading Trading Post!)