Asparagus, Mushroom and Shrimp Fried Rice

[a_boleyn]

I've been out of potatoes for about a week so when I thought about starch sides to pair with one of the several proteins in my freezer, pasta/noodles, quinoa and rice were among my options. I also wanted to use up the last few stalks of asparagus in my fridge. I finally decided on a Chinese classic ... fried rice. Mainly because I had a pound of

Comments

[spikesgirl58]

What sort of rice do you favor for this?

[a_boleyn]

Long or medium grain rice is fine. You don't want sushi/short grain rice because it's sticky.

I cooked up the rice the night before and put it in the fridge to cool.

I cook the rice the way I cook sushi rice: wash it thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Drain well. Combine 2 cups cold water with 1 cup raw rice. Bring it to the boil over high heat. Stir a couple of times in case your rice grains stick. When the water is bubbling through the rice, cover with a lid and turn the heat down to the lowest possible on your electric stove element and set the timer for 15 min. After that, take the rice off the heat and let it steam for at least 10 min. Fluff. The rice should be perfectly cooked ... tender but not mushy. If you want, add 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt to the water when boiling.

PS: This gives you about 3 cups of cooked rice.

[spikesgirl58]

That's what I've been doing wrong. I've been using short rice and it glues itself together. Great for sushi, not so much for fried rice. Thanks for the heads up!

[a_boleyn]

I think they just use cheap long grain rice in most Chinese restaurants but since I haven't actually eaten in one in the last 20 yrs or so, barring Chinese buffets, I may be wrong. :)

There used to be a small mom and pop Chinese diner type restaurant around the corner from my house, that made the most amazing Chinese chicken curry with green peppers. Served with an order of plain white rice. It was my go to order to pick up. One of these days, I'm going to make it at home. :)

[spikesgirl58]

We are fortunate that we grow and export lots of rice, so most of the places here have access to just about any sort of rice they need. I adore Dave Wong's fried rice. It's always just right.

[a_boleyn]

I googled the name cause I'm not familiar with it.

Right now I have ... long grain, basmati, arborio and sushi rice in the house. :)

[spikesgirl58]

I have basmati and sushi rice, so I'm limited.