Ham Fried Rice

 I'll just cut to the chase - this is the next thing I made using up some more of the endless amount of ham we have here.  Pretty simple and easy to put together in a short amount of time if you're having a hectic day (like I did today!)

What I really like about fried rice is how versatile it is; if I'm undecided on what to make for dinner, I usually can scrounge around for whatever is in my fridge and turn it into some version of fried rice.  In this case, ham, peas and egg worked perfectly.

A couple things to note that work for me so there are no unexpected surprises:

• Use cold, day-old rice.  I've made the mistake before of using fresh, hot rice - you end up with a very moist, sticky clump that can't absorb all of the sauce.
• I personally like to cook my eggs separately, rather than in the same pan as the rice.  I've tried it before, but with the amount of eggs I like to use, it would get all mixed up before cooking all the way and I'd end up with eggs that "disappeared" into the rice.  I like to actually taste eggs in my fried rice!

HAM FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 cups of cold, day-old rice
• vegetable or olive oil
• 2 cups diced ham
• 4 eggs
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced/grated
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 TBSP sesame oil (I love a lot of sesame oil in my fried rice; if you don't like the taste, you can reduce it)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• sliced green onions (optional, for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk the eggs with a splash of water or milk and a dash of kosher salt; add a little oil to a nonstick pan and scramble the eggs on medium high heat. Set aside.
2. In a large nonstick pan, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil on medium high heat and add onions, garlic and ginger. Stir and cook until fragrant.
3. Add rice to the pan and add the soy sauce and sesame oil; stir rice, breaking up any clumps so each grain gets evenly coated.
4. Add the diced ham and scrambled eggs back in and incorporate evenly.  Add frozen peas.
5. Add any additional salt, if needed (since I use regular soy sauce and not low sodium, I find this is enough for my taste; you might like it saltier than this).
6. Sprinkle sliced green onions on top, if using, and serve.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-6