Budget egg-fried rice
Egg fried rice makes a brilliant, and economical supper. You can add any fresh, frozen or leftover cooked vegetables or cubes of cooked meat. It’s a great way to use up odds and ends from the fridge to save waste.
This recipe is part of a budget meal plan for two. In September 2023, this recipe was costed at an average of £2.61 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 150g/5½oz long grain rice
- 100g/3½oz frozen peas
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 pepper, any colour, deseeded and diced
- 4–5 spring onions, trimmed and sliced, including lots of the green end
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (preferably dark), plus extra to serve
Method
A third fill a medium saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Stir the rice into the water, cover and return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the rice for 10 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute more.
Five minutes before the rice is ready, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the pepper over a medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring. Add the spring onions and cook for 1 minute more, stirring.
Drain the rice well and leave in a sieve or colander to one side – if your rice is very starchy after cooking, rinse in cold water before setting aside.
Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the remaining oil to the other. Pour the beaten eggs into the frying pan, away from the vegetables and scramble over a medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until softly cooked.
Add the rice and peas to the pan and mix all the ingredients lightly. Cook together for 1–2 minutes or until everything is steaming hot, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce and toss together well before serving, with extra soy to sprinkle.
Recipe Tips
If you don’t have any spring onions, you can use half a finely chopped brown onion instead, and fry at the same time as the pepper.
This dish isn’t quite as crispy as traditional egg fried rice as the rice is warm when it is used.
Sometimes cheaper long grain rice cooks more quickly, so be prepared to add the peas once the rice has been cooking for about 8 minutes instead of 10.