Budget-friendly Fried Rice

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Fried Rice is a wonderful addition to your weekly meals if you’re looking for cost-effective options. This budget-friendly fried rice was something that I made often when I was paying off my student loans. My food budget was the area of planning where I cut back the most making it easy for me to control. A base of rice, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger are all inexpensive ingredients to build flavor & filling from!

Choosing Budget-Friendly Fried Rice Ingredients

Planning recipes for the week allows you to have versatility with your budget, especially when utilizing recipes with budget-friendly bases like rice. If you cook most meals at home, this is a very truthful statement since you’re able to compare grocery spending each month for the months that follow. Each month you can analyze your spending and slowly chip away at any areas that can be manipulated.

This means that the ingredients in this recipe do not necessarily need to be present but they are what’s suggested for flavor purposes. Keep in mind that freezing ingredients is a great money-saving habit along with a way to reduce food waste.

If meat is not within your budget, you can still receive adequate protein through the use of veggies and eggs. Using broccoli and egg as your main protein ingredients, you’re able to get all of the amino acids necessary. (Amino acids are the building blocks of protein meaning that with all of them present, you receive a complete protein.)

Using “Old” Rice For The Perfect Restaurant-Style Fried Rice

There’s nothing more powerful than being able to stretch a meal when budget is a factor. Fried rice is an ideal example meal to display this. Fried rice is a base to bring all of your veggies together that may be on their way out. Additionally, incorporating rich flavors from toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and Asian sauces, it makes for a delicious meal too.

When making fried rice, it’s essential (in my opinion) to use “old” rice or rice that is one or two days old. At times you can stretch it to even a few additional days. This approach allows for the rice to lose the moisture content and firm up slightly prior to being added back to the pan. When adding freshly cooked rice it still retains a great deal of moisture resulting in a “mushy,” damp meal. Nothing says delicious in that description. In my opinion, there is nothing less satisfying when you’re looking to have a delicious restaurant-style fried rice to be disappointed with a mushy attempt!

In order to get this desired restaurant-style texture & taste, you can speed up the process to be under 1 to 2 days. If you are able to remove your cooked rice and add it to a sheet tray this will help to let it cool faster. Following this, run a spatula between the rice creating slits in it to separate it further allowing it to cool. I like to add around 4 slits for the portion below.

If possible you can even pop the rice into the freezer for a few minutes and then add it to your fridge uncovered for a few hours. This will help to allow air to circulate before adding it to a sealed container. (Do not add HOT rice to a freezer. Allow it to cool slightly prior to adding)

Budget-friendly Fried Rice

The Healing Connective

Enjoy this budget-friendly fried rice that's rich in protein, cost-effective, nutrient-dense, and filled with flavor! It's vegan-friendly with the option to be made with additional proteins.

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Prep Time 25 mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Asian American

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1-2 tsp ghee, grapeseed, or avocado oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup onion
• 1/4-1 cup celery
• 1/4-1 cup carrots
• 1/2-1 cup broccoli
• 2 cups a few days old rice (I like to use sushi rice)
• 1/4 cup liquid aminos or tamari use liquid aminos if you have MCAS (can add more if needed)
• 1 inch ginger
• 2-4 garlic cloves
• 4-5 scallions
• 1/2-1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice seasoning (brand linked above)
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 cup dark rotisserie chicken meat (optional)
• 1-2 tsp ghee or butter to finish (optional)

Snow Peas

• 8 oz snow peas
• 1/4-1/2 tsp ghee, grapeseed or avocado oil (optional)
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2-3 tsp liquid aminos
• 1-2 tsp rice seasoning

Instructions

 

• Chop your veggies into small dice-sized pieces and reserve. I like to do this one day prior to create a quick and easy meal. (View freezer notes below)
• Turn your stovetop on to high warming your pan.
• Add your ghee or oil of choice and once hot, add in your onions/shallots and carrots to the pan. Keep the heat on high.
• Follow with your celery and cook these ingredients until desired texture is achieved. Next, add in your liquid aminos and combine.
• Follow with your day old rice with the heat still on high. If using broccoli or pre-cooked chicken, add these ingredients in now. Combine all of the ingredients and allow the rice to sit without stirring it. This will allow for a slight char, additional flavor, and texture.
• Read the notes below on the chicken, broccoli, and egg suggestions.
• Next, add in your grated garlic and ginger and combine the rice. Once the garlic is fragrant you can turn off the heat. Follow with sesame seeds, a dollup of butter if desired, scallions, toasted sesame seed oil, and rice seasoning.
• At this point you should taste your rice mixture and see if it needs additional ingredients such as more liquid aminos, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, or rice seasoning. Adjust accordingly to your preference.
• Top with extra scallions or rice seasoning and serve to enjoy!

Snow Peas

• If making the snow peas, these will only need to be slightly heated with oil in a sautee pan.
• Have your saute pan on high heat and combine the snow peas with your remaining ingredietns except your sesame oil until a vibrant green coloration is achieved.
• Next, add in your toasted sesame seed oil and serve.

Notes

CULINARY NOTES:

Using the correct oil: Using toasted sesame seed oil is necessary in making this recipe. The rich flavor of toasted sesame seeds is important to achieve a restaurant-style fried rice flavor. If using regular sesame oil only you will not receive the same flavors.

Using a high smoke point oil is important for this recipe. Try using an oil such as ghee, grapeseed, or avocado oil. (These oils have been listed in order of smoke point with ghee having the highest smoke point.)

**The toasted sesame seed oil should be added once the rice has been pulled off of the heat or after the heat has been lowered. It does not need to be heated.**

Broccoli, Egg, & Chicken: If using broccoli I typically enjoy having it steamed to be added into the fried rice right before it is pulled off of the heat. This allows for the vibrant green color to remain intact. 

If using egg, I like to scramble an egg ever so lightly and pull it off of the heat to then be added into the fried rice. You may also make a space within the same fried rice pan to cook your egg so that it can be a one-pan meal.

If using pre-cooked chicken pieces (even if it’s frozen) the chicken will only need to be reheated to temp and should be added in right before your rice to heat.

Rice Seasoning: The rice seasoning that has been added to this recipe does contain seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, as well as sugar. While I do not typically use white refined sugar, this is what is traditionally used and sugar is still sugar. It rarely makes a difference (in the large majority.) If you would like to use another form of sugar I still suggest using seaweed of some sort in this recipe!

Freezing Veggies or Chicken: If you would like to freeze your veggies or meat prior it’s important to freeze them in the desired cut that they will be added to your rice. Cut the veggies or chicken and freeze separately on a flat sheet tray with a silicone mat. Once individually frozen, combine the veggies into a container to use in this or future recipes!

 

ALLERGY / MAST CELL ACTIVATION SYNDROME / DYSAUTONOMIA / POTS NOTES:

I highly suggest using liquid aminos if you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Dysautonomia, or POTS. Soy sauce contains gluten and is a fermented product. While tamari is gluten-free, it is a fermented product that contains alcohol making it potentially unsafe for MCAS which may trigger allergies and lead to anaphylaxis.

Please approach this recipe with caution if you use any of the above products. I react to Tamari due to fermentation and its alcohol content but liquid aminos have been safe for me. I will link them below!

 

More Recipes To Enjoy

• Vegetarian Bibimbap
• Macadamia Rosemary Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Plant-Based Nacho Cheese

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