The beauty of vegetarian versions of fried rice is that they can be as colorful as your supermarket’s produce section or local farmers’ market allows. I like to use peas, purple cabbage, and red and yellow bell peppers to go with blackish shiitake mushrooms. Remember to break up your leftover rice into smaller clumps before it goes into the wok, so that it fries up and develops a crispy texture more easily.
Ingredients
- 3 cups leftover cooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 4 or 5 fresh shiitake, cremini, or white button mushrooms, finely
- chopped
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 or 2 large purple cabbage leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
How to Make It
- Break up the cold cooked rice into smaller clumps.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Add the scallions and garlic and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms, peas, red and yellow bell peppers, and cabbage and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, breaking up any remaining clumps with a spatula. Drizzle the soy sauce and sesame oil over the rice. Continue cooking the rice, stirring constantly, until the rice starts to turn golden and is well mixed with the vegetables, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl or plate and serve hot.
