Steak Fried Rice

YoungerSon is home sick with a cold that has degenerated into sinus and ear infections.  He caught the cold from me, who had caught it from olderSon when he came home from college for a couple of days.  OlderSon had an ear infection as well (olderChild used to call them "ear confections" when she was little, but I digress ...).  Somehow, infections that require antibiotics managed to skip me, but I was flopped on the couch for several days while the progeny were able to function somewhat.  I'm not sure who had the better deal.

So what does all this have to do with food?  There I was, staring at a steak in the fridge, hoping it would speak and tell me what I should do with it this evening (as usual, the steak wasn't very  communicative) when youngerSon strolled by and croakingly suggested, "steak fried rice."

My little (and by little I mean almost 6 feet tall) genius!  What a great idea!  A couple containers of leftover rice were conveniently taking up valuable space in the freezer. So be it!

I had posted chicken fried rice previously, but never fried rice of the steak persuasion.   The flavor of steak is a little bolder than chicken (you writing this down, kiddies?), so I adjusted the recipe a tad and tossed in a little marinating, to tenderize and better enhance the dead cow flavor.

I used chuck steak here.  But after spending too much time trimming away large hunks of fat, I would recommend you use a cut better suited for the job, such as strip steaks or london broil.


Steak Fried Rice
makes 4 servings

1 pkg. (about 1 lb.) tender cut of steak (your choice), thinly sliced against the grain
4 Tbl. soy sauce (low-sodium preferred), divided
1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl. sherry
1 tsp. granulated sugar
4 cups cold, leftover rice
2 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided
2 eggs
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
1 scallion (optional)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp.  ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (bottled ok)
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 Tbs. Sesame seeds (optional)

In a food-safe plastic bag, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sherry and sugar (see my post from the other day on how to tame the bag).  Mish the marinade a little.  Open the bag and add the sliced steak.  Press out the air, then close the bag securely and invert the bag a few times to distribute the marinade.

Warning:  NOT a party favor!

Place bag in a dish to prevent the marinade from trying to escape, then set aside for 10-15 minutes.

While beef is marinating, slice the onion and scallion, shred the carrot and lightly beat the eggs.  Set the veggies aside.

Place a large frying pan or skillet over a medium-high flame.  When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil, let it heat for 10 seconds, then pour in the beaten eggs.  Tilt around the pan to spread out the eggs.   When the edges start to curl up a tiny bit but the middle is still underdone, use a spatula to flip the eggs over. Cook for a few seconds then lift out with the spatula onto a plate. 

Cut up eggs into bite-sized pieces then set aside.

Add remaining oil to the skillet, let it heat for a few seconds, then add the onion, carrot shreds, crushed red pepper and ground ginger.

Stir-fry until the onions soften a bit but are not too brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Push onion mixture to the outsides of the pan.

Drain the beef; discard the marinade.  Add the beef to pan, spreading it out as best you can into a single layer.   Sear, without stirring, for 2 minutes. 

Notice that the beef is only slightly cooked  around the edges.

Add garlic and continue to stir-fry for about 30 more seconds (beef will slightly browned but still undercooked).  Transfer beef and veggies to a covered dish and keep warm.

Add the rice and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, breaking up lumps if any.  Pour remaining soy sauce over rice and stir to evenly coat the grains.  Add more soy sauce to taste, if necessary.

Return beef mixture and accumulated juices to pan and continue to stir-fry for 1 minutes.  Add the peas, and stir until everything is heated up and steak is cooked to your liking, another minute or two.  Add cut-up egg and stir in gently.

Plate the steak fried rice, and top with scallions and sesame seeds if desired.  Serve hot.