Make This Simple Stir Fry & Fried Rice in 15 Minutes

This recipe is a template for any basic stir-fry dish. If you’re new to stir fry, click here get the low-down on this cooking technique, and here for recipes for a whole range of stir fry sauces.

I’ve left most of the ingredients of this recipe open to interpretation, so you can personalize it to fit your dietary needs and preferences!

(Example, pictured above: Beef sirloin steak tips stir-fry with green bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms in a hot and sour sauce with egg-fried rice. Sliced garlic and chili peppers used as aromatics.)

Ingredients:

• Protein of choice, sliced thin: chicken, lean beef, tofu, tempeh
• Hard and soft vegetables of choice, cut into equal and bite- sized pieces
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• A few slices of red chili pepper
• 1/3 cup of stirfry sauce of choice, plus more if necessary
• 2 tablespoons of grapeseed, peanut, or vegetable oil, plus more if needed
• ½ cup of rice, cooked and cooled
• Soy sauce, chili garlic paste, or Sriracha to top

Instructions:

1. Do the prep work – AKA cut up all your food & prep your sauces – then get everything within arm’s reach.
2. Heat up a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. It should get hot enough to vaporize a drop of water within a few seconds. Add a tablespoon of oil and give it 30 seconds to heat up.
3. Add in the meat or tofu, if using, and Stir-fry until it is brown on all sides. Cook in small batches to prevent the pan from overcrowding.

4. Transfer the meat or tofu out of the pan onto paper towels to dry the excess oil. Take the pan off the heat for a second and wipe the excess drippings of the meat from the wok with paper towels.

4. Return the wok to the heat. Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat for 30 seconds. Add in the aromatics and stir-fry for 20 seconds, before moving them immediately to the edges of the pan so they do not burn, the way that they unfortunately did in this photo 🙂 .

6. Add in the tough vegetables and Stir-fry until slightly tender. If the wok is drying up, don’t be afraid to add in small amounts of water to help hard vegetables such as broccoli and carrots soften up. Just make sure the water has been completely dried up before adding the rest of the ingredients.

7. Push the hard vegetables to the edge of the pan. Add in the soft vegetables and Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

8. Mix in the cooked rice along with the stir-fry sauce. Add the sauce along the edges of the pan to prevent the vegetables from getting soggy. Let the sauce cook for 1-2 minutes so it reduces down a bit.

9. Push the contents of the pan to the ridges of the wok and add the beaten eggs to the center. Mix the eggs vigorously over the heat until they are nearly cooked, and then mix back together with the vegetables and rice.

10. Add the protein back in to the pan, if using, and stir until the protein is cooked all the way through. Serve with extra soy sauce, chili-garlic paste, siracha, or chopped/slivered nuts. Enjoy this delicious meal tonight, and fill out your application to work at P.F. Chang’s tomorrow.