Ham fried rice
Golden bits of ham, fluffy egg and peas and carrots tossed through toasty soy fried rice in 20 minutes flat.
- 20 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.48 a serving
- 440 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 packages microwave rice pouches, 8.8 oz pouches
- 3 large eggs
- 4 stalks green onions
- 8 oz diced cooked ham
- 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Each serving has about 440 calories, 22 g protein, 52 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.48 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Squeeze the rice pouches to break up the clumps, beat the eggs in a bowl, and the green onions.
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 tbsp of the oil in a large over medium-high and cook the ham 3 minutes, stirring, until at the edges. Move it to 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.
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.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Pour in the eggs and scramble them about 1 minute, until just set, then add them to the ham.
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 to high, add the rest of the oil, the rice, frozen vegetables, garlic and most of the green onions, and 5 minutes, until hot with some bits.
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.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
High heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Press the rice flat and leave it a minute between stirs. That’s where the toasty bits come from.Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil, then the ham and eggs back in.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
High heat
Taste, add more soy sauce if it needs it, and serve topped with the rest of the green onions.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
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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