Cabbage fried rice
Half rice, half sweet stir-fried cabbage, with soft egg and a splash of soy, the cheap, lighter fried rice that still tastes like takeout.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $1.54 a serving
- 530 calories
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- ¾ cup long-grain white rice, cooked and chilled, about 2 cups (leftover rice is perfect)
- 4 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks green onions, sliced, whites and greens kept apart
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 pinch black pepper
Each serving has about 530 calories, 15 g protein, 70 g carbs and 21 g fat, and costs about $1.54 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Break up the cold rice with your fingers. Shred the cabbage, the garlic and the green onions, keeping whites and greens apart.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large over medium heat. Scramble the eggs until just set with no runny parts and slide them onto a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Turn the heat up to high, add the rest of the oil, the cabbage and carrot and 4 to 5 minutes, until and at the edges.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
High heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Let the cabbage sit between stirs so it browns. Browned cabbage tastes sweet, steamed cabbage tastes like, well, cabbage.Add the garlic and green onion whites and stir 30 seconds.
High heat
Add the rice, press it into the pan and leave it 1 minute, then 3 minutes, until steaming hot.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
High heatTimer: 4 min
Dolly’s tip: Use rice that went into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Rice left out overnight isn’t safe, even once it’s fried.Food safety: Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until steaming hot, 165°F.
Pour the soy sauce around the edge of the pan, add the eggs back and , breaking them up.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
High heat
Take the pan off the heat and in the sesame oil, pepper and green onion tops. Serve with chili garlic sauce if you like.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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