Tried A New Recipe

                       

I spent the other day relaxing and reading my condensed Reader's Digest book.  In one of the stories, the main character made fried rice.  To my surprise the recipe was at the end of the novel.  It made my mouth water when I was reading the book, so I decided to try it.

First I had to go to the store and get all the ingredients before I could make it.  That took a couple of days and finally on Saturday I had all the ingredients and went to work chopping and dicing the vegetables that go into it.  I never follow a recipe exactly the way it is written.  Sometimes I don't like something that is in it, or I feel there is an easier way to do it.  What is so neat about this recipe is that you can add veggies that you like.  I think next time I may add zucchini and yellow squash to it. I did add some frozen peas.  Frank wants me to add some water chestnuts next time as that will add a little more crunch to it.

When it was all done I called Frank to come and eat and be my tester for the dish.  We both said it was a keeper.  A few months ago I found another recipe in a novel, and tried it and didn't like it at all, so this one was a pleasant surprise.  I cut the recipe down as this would make way too much for two people. We had it for lunch after Church today and it was still delicious.  Because it has chicken and ham in it all you need is a salad to go with it and you have a complete meal. 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
6 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil or peanut oil
2 cups boneless chicken, cubed
1 ham steak, cubed
8 cups of cooked rice---Chinese or an American brand rice such as Botan Calrose rice
Soy sauce a little less than 1/4 cup
Salt & Pepper

In a skillet combine 4 tlb of the butter, the chopped garlic, and the carrots.  Cook over medium heat until the carrots are soft but still a little crunchy.  Set mixture aside.  Add 2 tbl of butter to the same skillet and cook the white onions until soft.  Set aside.  Cook the green onions in the remaining butter until soft but still slightly crispy. Set aside. Cook the diced ham in a small amount of oil, being careful not to overcook. Set aside.  Cook the chicken in a small amount of vegetable oil until tender and cooked.  Chicken can be slightly browned, but as always, don't overcook.  Salt to taste and set aside. Scramble the eggs in a clean skillet.

Put the rice in a very large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Add the soy sauce and stir to distribute it through the rice.  Add the rest of the prepared ingredients, stirring as you go, adding the eggs last.  Salt and pepper to taste.