Egg Fried Rice (Cơm Chiên Trứng)

My mother used to say to all my brothers, "If a woman does not know how to make fried rice with eggs, you should not get involved with her”. When living abroad, this statement has no meaning at all except for Vietnamese women like me. All good Vietnamese women are expected to know how to prepare this too facile and common dish. It also means that this dish should be a quick way to use the remainder of a few days of old cooked rice to create a nice meal. The Vietnamese tradition taught women how to embrace a men's heart by being a good cook. Therefore, knowing how to prepare a simple dish such as the egg fried rice, the women of my generation are expected to possess this skill. Egg naturally has a lot of nutrients, so this dish is a dish that I love to prepare while in a lazy mood day or suddenly having a few acquaintances come to my house. Of course, cooked rice is presented in every Vietnamese household, so making this dish will be done in a flash. Usually, fried rice can be served as a snack, as a side dish, or at the end of the seven or eight course meal in an Asian wedding party. The variations for a fried rice dish are endless, by adding whatever is available, such as Chinese barbecued pork, Charsiu, Chinese sausage, Lap cheong, bacon, or ham. Fried rice is a dish that I enjoy more than eating steamed rice. For that reason, I like to prepare fried rice any time I have quite a few left over mushrooms, or others ingredients that can not make a meal by themselves. Do not hesitate to add more things into this simple dish. No one can make wrong fired rice because fried rice is a dish that will become excellent by practicing many times or will still be okay for a beginner cook.

Ingredients:  
4 cups cold cooked rice
3 eggs, lightly seasoned with salt and beaten
1 cup total of diced button mushrooms and thawed frozen peas
1 Chinese lap cheong, diced
1 cup chopped white onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of crab meat, or cooked shrimp (optional)Season with:
2 tbs ponzu sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mushroom seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Garnish with 1/2 cup chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the beaten eggs.

 Stir until solidified and then break up the egg into large pieces resembling scrambled eggs. Transfer to a plate.

Heat another 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a wok, swirling the oil to coat the base and sides of wok. Add onion and garlic. Stir until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Add lap cheong, peas, and mushrooms and stirfry for 1 minute.

 Add rice and stirfry for 2 minutes.

Season the rice with all the seasoning ingredients. Adjust to your taste.

 Add eggs and stir to heat through for 2 more minutes.

Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Serve hot.