Bacon Fried Rice

I love fried rice.  I think I could eat it every day and never get sick of it.  I created this particular recipe to taste exactly how I love it, slightly crispy buttery rice, garlic, a touch of ginger, bacon, egg, veggies - its my own personal perfection.  However, the best thing about fried rice is that you can really throw in anything you want!  Switch out the bacon for chicken, pork or even spam!  Choose what veggies you like - red pepper, green onions, chopped zucchini.  Add in toasted sesame seeds - leave out the egg if you don't like it - really, it can be your own creation!  

Fried rice is SO easy to make, extremely versatile - and a crowd pleaser.  You can make this dish as a side or just serve it as an entrée all by itself!  (I have left out the meat sometimes if I'm making it as a side.)  This recipe definitely makes enough for everyone to enjoy it for lunch the next day too.

Some tips for this recipe:

• I use a huge 5qt skillet to fry this rice because this recipe makes a lot and the bigger skillet makes it easier to flip and stir.  
• I have made this with lots of different kinds of rice... jasmine, white, brown and short grain brown.  Use your favorite!
• I usually try to remember to make the rice the day before and keep it in the refrigerator to make the next day, but I often make it fresh the day of and let it cool uncovered spread out on a sheet pan in the freezer or refrigerator before I put the fried rice together.  (Just so some of the moisture gets to evaporate.)  

You are going to want to make this, it is DELICIOUS! 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 5-6 cups cooked rice
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger or up to a Tbsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 5 eggs, scrambled
• 12 oz cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups frozen veggies (we like a mixture of peas, chopped carrots and corn.)

Instructions:

1. Before starting, make sure your rice has been properly cooked and cooled, your bacon is cooked and crumbled, your eggs are perfectly scrambled, (see my tip on this at the bottom of the recipe), and your frozen veggies are in a bowl ready to be added.
2. Melt the stick of butter in the big skillet over medium high heat.  Add the minced garlic, and sauté for just a minute.  
3. Gently mix in the rice and make sure it's all coated with the butter and garlic mixture.  (I use a nylon slotted turner to scoop and flip.)  
4. Sprinkle the onion powder, ginger, salt and pepper over the top and gently stir.  
5. Drizzle the soy sauce over the rice and continue to flip and turn until everything is pretty evenly coated.  
6. Stir in the scrambled egg, crumbled bacon and frozen veggies.  
7. Continue to fry over high heat for 5-10 minutes, flipping the rice every couple of minutes so it stays an even light brown but starts to crisp up.  
8. Make sure you taste your rice and add additional salt & pepper to your taste once it is done and before you serve.

Note: For the perfect scrambled eggs, beat together 5 eggs until well combined, add a quarter cup of half and half or heavy cream and whisk them together.  Add a couple of pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper.  Heat a skillet with 1 Tbsp butter, then add the eggs and cook over medium heat while stirring and flipping with a heat proof spatula until they are just cooked through.  Don't over cook!  The heavy cream/half and half makes them much more fluffy.