Sheet Pan ‘Fried’ Rice
Serves 6
An inventive take on the skillet standby, this Sheet Pan “Fried” Rice cooks the dish in a very hot oven, adding the ingredients in steps. It comes from the new book, “Hot Sheet: Sweet and Savory Sheet Pan Recipes for Every Day and Celebrations,” by Olga Massov and Sanae Lemoine, in which you can use a sturdy, workhorse sheet pan to cook everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As with all stir-fries, have everything ready near the oven to use without delay. Besides the rice, the main element here is a 1pound bag of mixed frozen vegetables (couldn't be easier). The best part is the crispy rice at the edges, and a very nice sauce with soy, honey, and Chinese black vinegar. You can add more flavor with the Japanese seasoning furikake, a mixture of dried seaweed and sesame seed, or chili crisp, a spicy Chinese condiment.
RICE
2¾ cups water
1¾ cups long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1½tablespoons light soy sauce
¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans), no need to thaw
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1. In a deep saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Cook the rice for 15 minutes, or until it is tender and has absorbed the liquid in the pan. If the rice is not tender, let it cook 3 minutes more.
2. Uncover the rice, cover the pan with a paper towel, and add the lid. Set aside for at least 10 minutes or for up to 30 minutes. With a fork, fluff the rice. You should have 5 generous cups. Spread the rice on a half-sheet pan to cool.
3. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Place another half-sheet pan in the oven. Set the oven at 450 degrees.
4. In a large bowl that will hold all the rice, combine the canola or vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Add the rice and toss to coat the rice evenly with the oil mixture. It will have some darker clumps where the soy sauce penetrated and white clumps where it did not. That's OK.
5. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Carefully transfer the rice to the pan, spreading it in an even layer. Return the pan to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice starts to crisp up and turn light golden.
6. Remove the pan from the oven. Add the frozen vegetables and carefully (the pan is searing hot) stir them into the rice. Return to the oven and continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until the rice is a rich golden brown and the vegetables are tender.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and push the rice and vegetables to the edges of the pan, creating an empty space in the center. Pour the eggs into the space. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 4 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through and opaque. (Total cooking time is 34 minutes.) Remove the pan from the oven. With the side of a large kitchen spoon, break up the eggs as you stir them into the rice mixture.
SAUCE AND GARNISH
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey, or more to taste
1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar or red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, grated
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (for garnish)
Furikake (optional)
Chili crisp (optional)
1. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and ginger.
2. Taste for seasoning and add more honey or vinegar, if you like. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Divide the rice among 6 shallow bowls. Serve with scallions and furikake or chili crisp, if you like.