A dish that transforms all that leftover takeout
Broccoli stands up beautifully to the bold flavors of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chile and scallion in this stir-fry. As always, fried rice is best made with cold leftover rice. Make sure to organize your prep in advance, setting up your bowls of ingredients next to the stove, as this goes very quickly, and you’ll need to be ready. Leftover rice from Chinese food takeout is a perfect candidate for this dish.
Fried rice with broccoli and mustard greens
6 servings 1 small head broccoli (12 ounces), cut into small florets and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 rib celery, thinly sliced (1⁄2 cup) 1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced into half-moons (1⁄2 cup)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly
sliced (1 cup)
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
ginger root
1 jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 bunch mustard greens (about 8 ounces), trimmed, washed and chopped
5 large eggs (optional)
5 cups cooked rice, chilled 2 tablespoons coconut aminos 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce,
or more as needed
1 tablespoon Sriracha
3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil
In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, celery and carrots. In a small bowl, combine the scallions, garlic, ginger and jalapeño or serrano. Place the mustard greens in a separate bowl.
Crack the eggs, if using, into a medium bowl and lightly whisk. Place the cold rice into a medium bowl and, using your hands, break it up. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, lime juice, soy sauce and Sriracha.
Set all of these bowls near your stove, along with a large, shallow dish.
In a large wide skillet or wok over high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the broccoli mixture to the pan and quickly toss to coat, cooking until the broccoli turns bright green, 30 seconds. Add about one-third of the scallion mixture and toss well. Add onethird of the soy sauce mixture and toss well. Transfer everything from the pan to the shallow dish and spread out in a single layer to cool. (Do not pile the vegetables in a mound or they will overcook.)
Return the skillet or wok to high heat and add another 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the mustard greens to the hot pan, then add one-third of the scallion mixture and one-third of the soy sauce mixture. Toss well to coat, and cook until the mustard green wilt, 30 seconds. Spread the greens out over the broccoli mixture.
If using the eggs, return the skillet or wok to high heat and add another 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the eggs to the pan and quickly swirl them against the hot surface, using the back of a spoon or spatula to make as thin a layer as possible. Cook, stirring, until the eggs are softly set, 30 seconds, and immediately transfer to the vegetable mixture.
Return the skillet or wok to high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the rice to the pan, and immediately stir in the remaining scallion and soy sauce mixtures, tossing and stirring constantly to prevent sticking. When the rice is hot (less than 1 minute), return the cooked ingredients to the pan and stir well to combine. Taste, and add more soy sauce, if needed. Serve right away.
Adapted from “Root to Leaf” by Steven Satterfield (Harper Wave, 2015).