Veggie Pork Fried Rice for My Girl

Veggie Pork Fried Rice: how I got my kid to eat, and love, vegetables!

Jump to Recipe

I struggled with the title of this post – How My Kids Learned to Love Vegetables would have been good, Veggie Pork Fried Rice for Whole Foods Newport Beach Grand Opening was appropriate but too long, How to Make Fried Rice With No Soy Sauce – nah, Family Favorite: Vegetable Pork Fried Rice just didn’t roll off the tongue. In the end, it’s College Girl’s 21st birthday and even though she is thousands of miles away studying (probably not tonight) in Japan – this was her favorite dish, morning, noon or night, ever since she was a wee toddler just learning about real food. Happy Birthday, Chloe! Hope you don’t mind that I substituted Chinese peas for broccoli 🙂

I don’t add soy sauce while cooking the rice because introducing any wet ingredients can make your fried rice soggy or clumpy, and who wants that. In fact, I don’t use soy sauce at all any more because of its high sodium content (even low-sodium is too high), instead the sesame oil and condiments like furikake and gomasio with seaweed, sesame seeds, and bonito flakes add umami flavor and texture. You can purchase furikake and gomasio at Asian markets or, for one stop shopping, I visit the international aisle at Whole Foods Market where they have a wide selection of  ingredients commonly used in Asian cooking, and many that aren’t so common.

I generally shop at Whole Foods at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach when I’m looking for  fresh sustainable fish or responsibly raised meats, an artisan cheese, or high quality and organic produce that’s out of the ordinary, like the lobster mushrooms I bought on Saturday, along with fresh Alaskan King Salmon on special fo $12.99 a pound, but I am looking forward to the Grand Opening of Whole Foods Newport Beach next week.

Print

Veggie Pork Fried Rice

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

A versatile and colorful way to work more veggies into your family's day. It's lower in fat and sodium than restaurant versions with loads of flavor and texture. It became a kid favorite in my house - really!

Course: Main

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Author: Priscilla

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pork tenderloin*
• 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
• 3 cups cooked white rice*
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup Chinese peas stringed and cut diagonally
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 cup frozen peas prepared according to package directions
• Condiments: furikaki sesame seeds, gomai

Instructions

1. For the twice cooked pork, cut leftover pork tenderloin into bite size pieces, place in a ramekin or bowl, add the BBQ sauce and mix to coat the meat. Set aside.
2. Prepare all the ingredients for your mise en place and have the rice ready in a bowl. I can be a little haphazard in the kitchen and don't always do this, but it is important when making stir fries or fried rice because the cooking goes quickly.
3. Spray your wok or a large sauté with cooking spray and heat over medium- high heat. Add the pork and cook for 2 minutes, tossing or stirring. Remove meat and set aside.
4. Add the canola and sesame oil to the wok. Heat over med-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the rice, turn up the heat to quickly brown the rice, stirring constantly. Remove the rice to a bowl. Lower the heat to med-high, add a little more oil if necessary before adding the carrots to the wok. Cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing or stirring constantly. Add the chile flakes, Chinese peas, and green onions, cook for another minute. Return the rice to the wok, stir to combine the ingredients and cook for another minute. Move the rice mixture to make space to pour the eggs into. Use a spoon to turn and quickly cook the eggs. Mix the eggs into the fried rice along with the peas (make sure the peas are well drained - you don't want soggy rice).
5. Alternatives: Easily made vegetarian and/or vegan by eliminating the pork and/or egg. Fried rice is naturally gluten free and is a wonderful vehicle to include any vegetables that you prefer: broccoli, corn, chopped green beans, bean sprouts, etc.

Recipe Notes

Pork tenderloin is just as lean as skinless chicken breast and can be grilled, baked or roasted for a quick dinner. I usually make two and purposely slightly undercook one tenderloin, knowing that I’ll be making twice-cooked pork for a stir fry or my family’s favorite fried rice for another meal.
Fried rice is best made with dry rice, not moist, sticky rice. I usually cook the rice the day before and refrigerate it, uncovered overnight. Leftover rice from Chinese takeout also works. I don't add soy sauce while cooking the rice because introducing any wet ingredients can make your fried rice soggy or clumpy.

Hope your week is full of happiness and sunshine.

Pin this collage to one of your Pinterest boards to make later!

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post by Whole Foods, all opinions are my own.