Pork Fried Rice With Seared Pork and Rice That Does Not Clump

It is 8:50 on a weeknight, you are hungry, and a little proud of yourself for not opening the delivery app. This pork fried rice is about 28 minutes, one wok, and it does not ask why you waited until 8:50 to eat. It just shows up hot, with seared pork, scrambled egg and soy-dark rice, and it has no minimum order.

Fried rice is a rice dish first: the grains should be separate, not wet.

The recipe is rice cooked in a saucepan, then stir-fried in a very hot wok with diced pork tenderloin, eggs, frozen peas and carrots, and soy sauce. The work is in the timing: the rice cooks while you prep, and the wok does the rest in about twelve minutes.

How to make it

1. Rinse the 1.5 cups white rice under cold water, which takes about 1 minute.
2. Cook the rinsed rice in a saucepan with 3 cups water over medium heat for 15 minutes until tender, then fluff with a fork.
3. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok over high heat for 1 minute.
4. Add the 8 oz diced pork tenderloin and stir-fry for 4 minutes until browned.
5. Push the pork aside and scramble the 2 large eggs in the wok for 2 minutes.
6. Add the cooked rice and 1 cup frozen peas and carrots.
7. Stir in 3 tbsp soy sauce and cook for 5 minutes, tossing constantly, then season with salt and black pepper to taste before serving hot.

Notes

Cooked leftovers keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Cool the rice quickly and get it into the fridge, rather than leaving it on the counter. Pork fried rice reheats well in a hot skillet or wok, with a spoonful of water if it seems dry, and in a microwave with a splash of water and a cover.

It freezes fine in flat bags. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and fry it again for a couple of minutes to get the texture back. Leftover fried rice is also a good base for a second fried rice: add another egg and a handful of vegetables.

The pork is tenderloin, diced small so it cooks quickly. The method gives it four minutes of stir-frying until browned. The USDA safe minimum for whole cuts of pork is 145 F with a three-minute rest, and small dice browned in a hot wok gets there quickly, but cut one open to be sure.

Rinse the raw rice for about a minute before it cooks, as the method says. That removes the surface starch that makes cooked rice sticky, and sticky rice is the enemy of fried rice. Fluff it with a fork when it is done, and spread it on a plate or tray while you cook the pork. A few minutes of cooling and drying makes a big difference in the wok.

A hot wok is the other half. The method heats the oil for a full minute over high heat before the pork goes in. If the wok is not hot enough, the pork stews instead of sears, and the rice steams instead of frying.

Scramble the eggs in the space you pushed the pork aside to make, and let them set just enough to break up. They finish cooking when the rice goes in.

On SwipeCart, the pork fried rice card is a swipe-right for the night when your fridge is nearly empty but you are not. Your agent puts the rice, the pork and the soy sauce in the cart, and you do the rest in one pan. Swipe right, and nobody comments on the hour but you.

Swaps that actually work

The rice and the hot wok are the point. Good fried rice is about texture, and a cooled, dry grain in a hot pan is what gives it. Everything else can move: fried rice is the friend who has seen you at your worst and takes whatever you bring.

The ingredients list names microwavable rice pouches as well as raw rice. A pouch, heated and spread out to cool for a few minutes, is a real shortcut when you do not want to wait for a pot, and leftover rice from the day before is the classic.

Pork tenderloin can be pork chop, diced, or any quick-cooking cut. Chicken thigh, shrimp or cubed tofu follow the same steps. Shrimp cooks in a couple of minutes, so add it later.

Peas and carrots are the frozen mix in the recipe, and you can add corn or a handful of chopped scallions. Add them frozen. They thaw in the hot rice and do not need to be cooked separately.

Soy sauce can be low sodium, or you can swap in a spoon of oyster sauce for depth. Taste before you add more, because the rice drinks it.

If it goes wrong

The rice is mushy and clumped. It was wet or too warm when it went in. Spread it on a tray to cool and dry before you start, and add the rice in the wok in batches if the pan is crowded. For now, keep stirring over high heat and let the moisture cook off.

It tastes flat. The recipe finishes with salt and black pepper to taste. Taste it, add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and stir through. A splash more soy sauce works too, though it makes the rice darker.

The pork is tough. It was diced too large or cooked too long. Dice smaller next time, and take the pork out of the heat once it browns. For now, the egg and rice will make up some of the difference.

It is greasy. Too much oil, or the pan was not hot enough to fry the rice before it absorbed it. Blot the rice with a paper towel if you need to, and use a little less oil next time.

What to serve with it

The default is the rice on its own, in a bowl, with a fork and a good show on the screen.

The better version is a quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. The rice is savory and a little rich, and something crisp and sharp makes it taste fresher.

The thing in the fridge that lifts it is a fried egg on top, chili crisp, or a handful of sliced scallions. All of them take seconds.

It works as lunch the next day, cold from the fridge or reheated in a hot pan, and it travels well in a container.

Why this one earns its place

You are hungry, you have rice and a bit of pork, and you want something that tastes like more effort than it was. This pork fried rice answers all three. It cooks in one wok, uses ingredients from a standard grocery run, and gives you a plate that looks like the takeout version, without a delivery fee or a wait on the porch.

If you are looking for more fast dinners, quick weeknight dinner ideas has plenty. For the chicken version of the same idea, chicken fried rice is next. And beef and broccoli stir-fry is the one to cook when you want a sauce over your rice instead.

More like this: all Chinese-American recipes in Crave Corner.