Fried rice is easy to make with rice that has been completely cooled. I’ve been making a version of this rice for a while, after I first spotted the recipe in the New York Times. This dish is good with almost any vegetable, but the combination of the kale and sriracha has a great flavor. When cooking Asian style dishes I usually leave the dish mildly seasoned, and then let everyone season to their liking at the table with extra lime wedges, tamari, and more sriracha. You can use a variety of proteins to round out the rice, I used shelled edamame, and shrimp or egg are also delicious. Half of a bunch of kale from our CSA Share boxes should be plenty, but for a smaller store bought bunch, you will probably use the whole thing. Cook the rice the day before if you can, or if you’re in a hurry transfer the rice to a shallow baking dish and spread in a thin layer. Cool in the freezer or refrigerator.
Any rice will work in this dish, but if you an find Red Bhuatanese Rice it has a great nutty flavor, and the contrast of the green kale and red rice makes a beautiful dish. I found red rice in the bulk bin at Greenstar Co-op in Ithaca. Check your natural food store (or one of our great pick-up sites!) for red rice. While the rice is cooling, remove the kale stems and shred the kale into bite-size pieces. I also used the tops of our cippolini onions, with garlic and ginger for aromatics. I usually have fresh ginger on hand because I store it in the freezer. When I need to use it, I just grate it while it’s still frozen and then return it to the freezer. Since most recipes only call for a small amount, this helps the ginger last longer. If you have a wok, use that, but if you don’t a large sauté pan will work just fine.
Heat one tablespoon of the canola oil over medium high heat, add garlic and onion tops, then the kale and big squeeze of lime. Cook, stirring frequently until kale is softened. Add the sriracha and mix to combine. Push the kale to side of the dish, and add another tablespoon of the oil, then add the rice. Mix the kale and rice together, then press the mixture flat and let the rice sear for a minute or two, stir and repeat a few times to give the rice a nice toasty flavor. Mix in the edamame and tamari. Add another squeeze of lime juice. Remove from heat and serve with extra lime wedges, tamari, and sriracha. Week 6 of our CSA includes big bunches of cilantro, garnish with cilantro if desired.
Red Fried Rice with Kale
1/2 bunch kale, stems removed, and leaves thinly sliced
2 cups of red rice, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup sliced cippolini onion tops or scallions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 cup shelled edamame, thawed
2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu, gluten free if necessary
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 lime, quartered
chopped cilantro for garnish, optional
In a large saute pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion tops and cook for a minute. Add the kale, and squeeze in lime juice from 1/4 of the lime. Cook stirring often until kale is wilted. Add sriracha and combine. Push the kale to one side of the pan, add the remaining canola oil, and add the cooled rice to the pan. Combine the rice and kale, them press the rice into the pan, let cook for a minute or two to sear the rice. Stir the rice mixture, then repeat a few times to add a toasty flavor. Add the edamame, tamari, and juice from another lime quarter. Combine and remove from heat. Serve with additional tamari, lime, and sriracha.
Variations. Substitute cooked shrimp or scrambled egg for edamame. Follow directions as is, then add a fried egg to the top of each serving.
