This simple, yet flavorful veg fried rice recipe is perfect side for any protein. Lots of veggies, lots of flavor and lots of texture going on here!
So what did you think of that salmon? Pretty good, huh?
Well, if you haven’t already, I urge you to add it to your menu along with this amazing fried rice. What makes this fried rice so amazing, you wonder? Short answer is the color, the texture, and the aroma.
Long answers is fluffy fried rice loaded with colorful veggies and infused with sesame oil. Oh yes, that teeny-tiny drizzle of fragrant sesame oil is everything in this recipe.
You know, traditional fried rice is made with carrots, green peas and scrambled eggs. Sure, it’s delicious and everything, but yawn! Let’s switch things up a little, shall we?
Actually, I didn’t come up with this version with an intention to switch things up. It was born by accident. You see, whenever I end up with leftover rice, I love to make a quick and easy fried rice for lunch. Out of many variations, I’d come back to this particular combination over and over again.
What I love the most is that zucchini adds freshness, edamame adds crunch and texture with pop of color, and sweet potato brings lots of flavor. Sometimes I throw in some sliced mushrooms, and/or scrambled eggs. And from here you can go wild with your creativity, or leave it as is.
Now let’s talk about basics of fried rice:
- It’s best to use leftover jasmine rice. Unlike short grain rice, such as sticky sushi rice, medium to long grain rice doesn’t stick together creating mushy mess. You want nice and fluffy rice here, and preferably that’s been cooked the day before. It tends to be drier and easier to work with. This is especially important in my recipe here, because we’re adding watery zucchini.
- No wok, no problem. Bring out the largest skillet and you’re good to go!
- Ever wonder why fried rice is brown? It gets its color from the soy sauce, but don’t be tempted to use too much of it. If you feel like it isn’t salty enough, use salt instead to prevent more moisture.
- To reheat the fried rice, simply add a touch of sesame oil and soy sauce, tightly cover it and microwave it for a minute or two. If you don’t cover it, you’ll dry out, or even worse, burn the rice, and that’s not good at all.
Now, I’m not claiming this as an authentic fried rice recipe. I’m probably breaking all sorts of rules here, but I’m telling ya, it works. No mushy, clumpy, overly saucy fried rice here. This one is fresh, flavorful and fluffy, just the way it should be!
See how easy it is to cook fried rice at home? Now it’s your turn to put your spin on this fabulous fried rice and pair it with that baked salmon for a complete meal. Thanks for reading!
Sweet Potato Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1 small zucchini
- 2 scallions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- ½ cup frozen edamame
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Salt to taste
Helpful Equipments:
Instructions
- Spiralize sweet potato into thin noodles. Then pulse it in a food processor until it’s small, like rice. Alternatively, you can grate the sweet potato.
- Dice the zucchini and slice the scallions.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and white part of scallions. Cook until fragrant.
- Add sweet potato. Cook until sweet potato is softened, 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add cooked rice, edamame and green part of scallions and stir.
- Add soy sauce and sesame oil and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Salt to taste.
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
Hi. Yams are orange ish in color with darker skins. They are sweeter than sweet potatoes too. Sweet potatoes are lighter in color, almost white,
and not nearly as sweet. Go figure??
How interesting! Next time, I’ll spend a little more time at the grocery store to check those out. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing the info, M. Johnstone. It’s very helpful!
That looks like a yam, not a sweet potato.
I always wondered what are the differences between yam and sweet potato. Would you share how you can tell? I bought under sweet potato at our local grocery store. Thanks!
Looks delicious. Probably better than takeout, thanks a lot
Much better. 🙂 Thanks, Keith!
I love fried rice! IT’s my go to when I have leftover rice in the fridge, too! And I loooove your use of edamame here 🙂
Oh edamame here is on point, Medha. Give it a try.