One thing I’ve learned from living off-campus is just how cost-effective certain foods can be. I’m not just talking about money, either. Cooking every meal individually can often be time-consuming and tiring. But in an hour or less, I can make enough veggie fried rice to last me a few dinners—and for nominal cost. And remember, always rinse your rice first!
Ingredients:
One cup of uncooked brown rice*
Two and ½ cups of water
½ an onion, diced (I use Vidalia)
One 16oz bag of frozen vegetables
(ideally defrosted)
Soy sauce
Sriracha sauce
½ tablespoon of vegetable oil
A tube of garlic paste
½ teaspoon of salt
Step One: Heat the water on high until it starts to boil. Pour in the rice and salt and stir briefly. Lower the water to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until soft.
Step Two: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot on high. Once the oil is hot enough, throw in the diced onions and a thumbs-length of garlic paste and stir them together so that the onions are coated in the garlic and oil. Sauté until the onions begin to turn clear.
Step Three: Turn the heat down to medium and add the vegetables. Stir with the onions, adding in soy sauce. Leave the lid on and turn the heat medium-low; allow the soy sauce to glaze over the vegetables for about 10 minutes.
Step Four: Once the vegetables have a glaze and the rice is cooked, add the rice to the vegetables and stir them together. Add soy sauce and sriracha to taste.
*makes about three and ½ cups of cooked rice