The past couple of weeks have been full of many firsts for me.  I wore a dress to school for the first time (thank you, job).  I bought grass fed ground beef for the first time (I made it into meatloaf).  I put on my big girl pants and took responsibility for my car’s maintenance for the first time.   As a result, I bought tires for the first time, and discovered that you can never really “just take your car to get the tires rotated.”

I also successfully made fried rice for the first time.  I’m sure this is a laughable accomplishment to many, but I’ve never had much luck with making really good fried rice (or tofu, now that I’m on the subject of perpetual cooking failures).  Perhaps it’s because I’ve never tried to use a recipe, but I could never get that signature slightly oily, yet still light texture of fried rice that I have in mall food courts, Panda Express, and any other Americanized Chinese restaurant.

Everything changed when I found this recipe.  I discovered that the secret to homemade fried is using day old, dry rice.  I’m not sure what it is about old rice that makes it perfect for fried rice, but it turned out perfectly.  It wasn’t anything too fancy, just some green onions, sauce, and my addition of diced summer squash and mushrooms.  Oh, and a fried egg on top.  With a drippy, yellow yolk that combined with the soy sauce mixture to create a delicious, creamy sauce that coated every rice grain.

I am obsessed with fried eggs with runny yolks.  Seriously, I think it is beautiful.

I know that’s not the most photogenic picture ever, but trust me, this recipe is inexpensive and easy.  White rice probably would have given me even better results, but I am a dietetics student, therefore I eat brown rice.  It has a nice, chewy texture, a distinct nutty flavor, and it’s packed with fiber.  Don’t get me wrong, white rice isn’t unhealthy, but brown rice is nutritionally superior.  It does take some getting used to, but I challenge you all to go buy a bag of brown rice instead of white!  That’s my dietetic tip of the day for you.

Also, egg yolks are in the clear, so don’t let me hear about you putting egg whites on top of this.  The drippy yolk is key!

So yes, go to that link and make this fried rice.  I have to get back to studying B12, B6, folate, and choline.