Fried Rice

I love fried rice!  It actually only has about 3 tsp of oil so it can't be that bad for ya, right!  It's so quick and easy to make especially if you happen to have leftover rice or if you make your rice the day before!  I normally though will have to say I generally make it all at once and it's still good and still pretty fast to make!

This fried rice has sesame oil in it, I love using sesame oil!  It has such a nice nutty smell to it which brings out a great bit of flavor to whatever you are cooking!  Crazy thing about sesame oil is at the grocery store for a 5 oz bottle it can cost up to $4 and $5 but if you look you can find it for $2.79 or close to that.  I happen to buy mine at a place called Restaurant Depot and you won't believe what I pay for a GALLON - $8 isn't that crazy!    

You can add shrimp, chicken, beef or whatever you can think of!  I had some left over chicken in the fridge but just wanted plain rice this time!  If you are adding meat to the fried rice make sure it's precooked before you add it because it only take minutes to make this rice and it wouldn't give enough time to cook the meat!

This is what you will need...fyi I didn't end up cutting any green onion but sometimes I do!  The recipe doesn't call for it but once and awhile if I have it I'll add a little.

Gallon of Sesame Oil $8 - 5 oz bottle $4 - Crazy!

Saute onion, garlic and toss in peas and carrots (i added mine frozen and I only added 1/4 cup cause I am not a big pea person;)

Push onions, garlic, peas and carrots to the side and add eggs

Once egg is screamble and cooked push all to the side

Add rice and soy sauce and toss all together

Fried Rice...truly it just takes minutes!!!

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

        

Mongolian Beef

When I go to PF Changs I pretty much either get Mongolian Beef or Honey Seared Chicken!  I had seen the recipe for Mongolian Beef several times on the internet so I decided to try it.  When I am googling recipes I try to read the reviews to see what they say...like sometimes they say that doesn't taste at all like ????? or that taste just like ??? or it comes very close!  The ones who say it's just like or close, I will try at least once!

I will have to say this is so very close to PF Changs Mongolian Beef!  Because you slice the meat at an angle it's very tender!

This is actually a pretty cheap meal to make!  I couldn't find the flank steak at HEB (they were out) so I asked the butcher and he said flat iron steak was very close so that is what I got.  I think the steak cost me $3 for a lb!  That 1 lb was enough for 3 or 4 people! 

I made fried rice to go with this and I plan on posting that soon!  I didn't get enough pictures so I'll have to make it again this week!  Fried rice is soooooo easy and fast to make!!  Honestly it's not that bad for you because it only has a small amount of sesame oil.

* I just wanted to note that when I buy Flat Iron Steak at HEB it's super cheap like for $5.50 you can get about 2 lbs!  I this last week was at Tom Thumb and the cheapest Flat Iron and Flank Steak was like $13.50 and came in a sealed package.  I am not sure why it was so much more!  Just check your stores the next time you are in to see which one might have it cheaper! 

In a skillet or wok saute garlic and ginger in 2 tsp of oil then add soy sauce, water and brown sugar, raise heat and cook 2 to 3 minute until thickens remove from heat.

 

Heat oil. Once it is nice and hot place coated beef strips in oil

Cook 2 minutes or until edges start to darken (see notes below on recipe about removing oil once cooked)

Place meat back in the pan and add sauce, cook 1 to 2 minutes

Add onions, I kept my long since they do that is PF Chang then cook another minute and it's done!

      

Mongolian Beef

 2 Tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp ginger, minced

1 Tbsp garlic, chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

vegetable oil for frying (about 1 cup)

1 lb flank steak or flat iron steak

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into on-inch lengths

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.

Don't get the oil too hot.

Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices (Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts).

Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.

Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).

Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.

Add the beef to the oil and saute for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.

You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.

Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.

Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.

Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.

Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.