My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice

Tons of stir fried veggies, all the good Asian sauces, and extremely garlicky caramelized onions all mixed up in your favorite rice: My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice is truly the Asian side I make every week.

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Asian sides can honestly be really difficult. More often than not, my Asian recipes are bowls, salad, or soups in and of themselves — so they don’t really require the preparation of a side. That being said, there comes a time when I make the eventual lettuce wrap, dumpling, or even homemade spring roll, and I need a good simple side to throw on the side. Better yet? I need a side that’s not too overpowering, blends well with the other flavors on my plate, and, ideally, will make for good leftovers for lunches throughout the week. Well, the other night I whipped up some pork dumplings for the fam, and at the last minute decided to make this My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice — a dish that I knew would meet all of the aforementioned criteria. To my surprise, this simple grain proved to be the star of the show. Nobody was talking about the dumplings, but everyone was obsessed with this rice. My mom specifically said she “could eat this everyday of the week.” Coming from someone who isn’t big on Asian cuisine, I knew I had to write down the recipe. It’s that good.

the breakdown…

My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice is seriously so easy. That’s what allows me to make it pretty much “everyday,” or at least every week. Start off by cooking rice as you usually would. I like to use brown rice or basmati rice, but, really, rice will work wonderfully. You could even use a different grain, like quinoa or farro, or a mix of a few that you already have prepared. The world is your oyster with this one, just don’t use anything that has pre-packaged seasoning. That would be weird. 

Next up, get working on the actual “stir fry” aspect of everything. I put stir fry in quotations because you aren’t technically using more than one tbsp of olive oil here. Still, you use that same ~chop everything up and saute it over a pretty hot heat~ type of method. It’s a little bit of a lighter option, yet it definitely doesn’t lack any flavor. Simply saute up some onion, mixed frozen vegetables, and cauliflower rice in that skillet. I like to use a mixture of frozen corn, peas, and carrots. You can usually find this combo already mixed together in one bag; but, in all honesty, just use whatever veggie medley you can find. I swear it will still be good! 

all about those veggies!!

Oh, and definitely go in with some cauliflower rice. This is what I think makes My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice a whole lot lighter while still being a primarily grain-based dish. Plus, when it’s mixed up with everything, you honestly can’t taste it in there. It just tastes like rice!

Now, let’s talk about what actually makes My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice taste like fried rice — let’s talk flavor. First things first, go in with a ton of garlic. Fresh garlic is essential to a good fried rice. You could definitely go overboard on the garlic by also adding garlic powder… but you need fresh garlic in there somehow. There’s just something about that little kick that amps up just about any grain!

Next, go in with the hoisin. Hoisin is truly my ultimate secret weapon for Asian cooking. Made with peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, vinegars, etc… it truly has every good Asian flavor thrown into the mix. No need to spend a ton of money on ingredients, nor a ton of time mixing a thousand things together. Just buy hoisin and keep it in your fridge at all times. Trust me, it’s a good idea.

let’s talk chilis…

Then, go ahead with your ~red ingredients~ aka the chilis. First things first, sweet chili sauce is a must. Almost like a sweet-and-sour sauce, sweet chili sauce is another ingredient I always keep on hand. Making it yourself is such a pain, and requires a ton of boiling, mixing, and perfecting. Nobody has time for that, especially when you only need a few tbsp for My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice. I recommend keeping some on hand, as it makes for the easiest dipping sauces for just about any Asian protein, grain, or bowl, too. Pro tip? Mix equal parts hoisin and sweet chili sauces with some garlic, chopped peanuts, a little sriracha… the resulting sauce is out of this world.

Ok, now back to the fried rice. Throw in some sriracha or chili paste (gochujang and sambal oelek are my favs) and you have yourself the perfect base of flavors. All you have to do now is throw in your prepared and fluffed with a little bit of chicken broth and you’re good to go! The broth is primarily to keep your rice moist, but it also helps distribute the sauce over all of your rice. After a few minutes of stir frying everything together, you’ve got yourself the perfect healthier fried rice… perfect for “everyday,” you could say;)

how to serve this up…

My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice is truly my go-to Asian side dish. Whether I’m whipping up a simple Asian marinated chicken, tuna, tofu, or steak, my Chinese Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps, my Healthier Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos with Avocado Salad, my Skewerless Saucy Chicken Satay, or any other Asian dish, this rice will always be on the side. Plus, this fried rice is also delicious on its own… maybe as a vegetarian dinner or for an easy meal prepped lunch? Either way, it’s the best. You have to make this!!

I hope you love this My Everyday Healthier Fried Rice as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))