A post-three day weekend back-to-basics recipe consisting of simple fried brown rice lovin.
What an awesome run on sentence there. Was it a run on sentence? Le sigh. It’s no wonder the journalism major I attempted 4 years ago never really fell though. Food is my niche, grammer…not so much.
It still blows my mind sometimes that society expects us to know we want to do with our lives at 18 years old. Then apply to a ridiculously expensive university and spend 4 years figuring yourself out only to find you are a completely different person, with different goals by the time you’re 21.
Looking back at my post-high school teenage self honestly freaks me out. I wish I could go back in time and tell that lost girl a passionate life of food, nutrition and travel was in the works. That would be too easy though. I guess we have to go through those younger years to figure our shit out.
Maybe I’ll be in my late twenties by the time undergrad, grad school and internships are behind me but at least I’m doing the damn thing and flippin ecstatic for the future. All the while creating recipes, eating delicious food, falling in love, traveling the world and sharing it with the blogosphere.
Phew the emotions are a-flowing today, bear with me. Anyways, whatever part of the life journey you’re on right now, basic recipes are always a good thing to have on hand. (This is me casually trying to tie in my philosophy rant into fried rice).
Joey always tells me how he doesn’t like rice. He says it doesn’t taste like anything and it’s just a waste of stomach space. In some ways I can agree. Plain rice, brown rice or even quinoa doesn’t exactly make my taste buds scream amazing. That’s where this recipe comes in. Some foods need a little va va voom because their plain jane flavorings aren’t gonna cut it.
The recipe made me a rice addict. It’s also ready in minutes, especially if you buy 3-minute brown rice (Trader Joes I heart you). Plus the flavors from sautéed garlic + onion in sesame oil and soy sauce make all the difference in the rice world. Add in some chicken, shrimp or tofu if that’s your jam and you got yourself a well-balanced one pot meal.
If being a busy college student the rest of my life means easy peasy fried rice during the week…I think I can hang for a while.
Simple Sesame Garlic Veggie Fried Rice
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 1/2 cup each: corn and peas or vegetable of choice (edamame works great)
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium if possible)
- Sea salt + black pepper to taste
- Handful chopped green onion
Pairing Ideas
- Diced chicken
- Shrimp
- Tofu
- Extra veggies
- Spicy chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Sautee sesame oil, garlic and onion over medium high heat until slighlty browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the chopped carrots and vegetables and continue to cook for a few minutes. Stir in the cooked brown rice and soy sauce until well combined. Continue to cook for for 4-5 minutes, add in black pepper and taste to see how much salt should be added. Serve with optional add ins and garnish with green onion.
Notes
Store rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in microwave or stove top.