Tried and True Fried Rice

FRIED RICE
Serves 4. Tonight I've made this with leftover steak, but it can easily be made with leftover (or freshly cooked!) chicken or pork. If you do not have the canned vegetables (or don't want to use canned), use frozen vegetables. The rice is fluffy and warm, mixed with all the various flavors, but not crisp.

2 eggs
2 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil (your favorite)
2 chopped scallions (or chopped onion to taste)
2 cups cooked white rice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup cooked and sliced beef (or chicken or pork)
1/2 can sliced carrots
1/2 can peas

First, cook the rice according to package directions. I use a rice cooker. It cooks the rice perfectly in about 20 minutes. If you don't have a rice cooker, you may want to use a microwave brand like Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over med heat. Beat the eggs with the water, and pour into the hot pan. Let the eggs cook; do not stir. When the eggs are done, remove them from the pan and slice them into strips. Or, if you prefer, an easy way to handle the cooked eggs is to break them up with a fork and toss them into a bowl for safekeeping.

Slice the cooked meat into bite sized portions. Heat the oil in the same pan you cooked the eggs in. Now saute the scallions (or onions) until soft.

To the onions, add the meat, carrots and peas. Heat until warm (5 minutes). Lastly, stir in the egg, rice, soy sauce and pepper. Add more oil and soy sauce if desired. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Serve hot.