{Recipe} Curry Fried Rice

This recipe used to be a major player at our dinner table when the kids were all little... It's quick, it's easy, toddlers can eat rice with their fingers and sweeps up easily after they drop half of it on the floor... 

Then, at some point, all the stores in Zootown stopped carrying one of the most important ingredients.  At least, all the stores I frequented did.  The kids were getting older, I had some new and more exciting recipes in my toolbelt, and it just wasn't a priority to try to track it down.  Now that we live in the big city, I decided to try again, and lo and behold, I found it at my ever faithful WinCo!!  Happy, happy day.  Curry fried rice has once again been making it's appearance at my table, much to the delight of all involved.

Here's what you need:
1 T Taste of Thai Red Curry Paste (THIS IS IMPORTANT!! This is the ingredient that went missing for so many years.)
2 T olive oil
2 C cooked rice
3 eggs, beaten

That is it for the basic, meatless recipe.  I make things a little more interesting by adding some cooked chicken, and whatever leftover veggies that are lying around that need to be used up (frequently it's frozen green beans, fresh summer squash, and sliced cabbage).

Heat your oil over medium heat until you can begin to smell it, then add your curry paste and mix it in well with the oil. 

(If I am adding chicken, I often add it at this point, uncooked, and cook it up in the oil mixture.) Or, use cooked chicken and just let it simmer with the rest...

Once that's nice and bubbly, add any veggies...  If you are cooking chicken, don't add your veggies until the chicken is THOROUGHLY cooked.

A great example of using whatcha got...  These squashes needed to be used and I had some leftover cabbage, too.

  Let your veggies cook down a bit, then add your rice.

 I love my rice cooker.  It has saved my bacon on more than one occasion!

 
Mix it all together until your rice is pretty well coated with the oil mixture...  You'll be able to tell because it's not all white anymore.
  Once you've done that, add your eggs and stir well.

 I like to put a lid on it at this point and walk away.

 

Don't ya just love how the handle on my frying pan lid looks like it's been digitized in there? 

      I come back occasionally to give it a good stir, and I like a bit of crunchiness on the bottom, so I let it fry away.  Once your eggs are cooked, though, it's done and ready to eat. 

We like to squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice, or add some plum or hoisin sauce.  Top it off with some green onions and you're all set!

Yum, yum!!