I was craving for my favorite fried rice at Osaka Japanese steakhouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is the toddler-approved recipe of how I make my vegetable fried rice with the help of my brother-in-law, Luu Vo. Thank you “Uncle Luu”! 

• Prep and Cook time: 30 minutes
• Note: I used a 12-inch deep pan.

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Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp Kikkoman All-Purpose soy sauce
• 3 cups uncooked Kokuho Rice
• 2.5 Tbsp margarine
• 1/4 tsp mixed black and white pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 bag 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables 

Direction:

1. Rinse the rice three times. That’s something Mom taught me to do before cooking rice every time.  I never understood why until lately a few Vietnamese moms explained to me that the purpose of rinsing the rice is to clean and remove or reduce the starch amount from the outside and also makes the rice less stickier when it is cooked. Anyway, to make this fried rice, I added 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in with the rice when I cooked it. I used a Tiger brand rice cooker because that’s the only brand my family ever used. This one of mine is over fifteen years old and it’s still working great.

2. Prep the vegetables. Beat the 3 eggs. Chop up the scallion. Diced the onion.

3. Put the 4 Tbsp of Kikkoman soy sauce in a little bowl.  Put the margarine in a little dish. In another small bowl, mix the 1/4 tsp black and white pepper, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and 1 tsp sugar together. Let the rice cool down in room temperature. I did not need to refrigerate it.

4. Heat the pan with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When hot, fry the beaten eggs. Add in a pinch of salt mixture from the cup. Fry the eggs and set it aside.

5. I set the timer for five minutes to help with time management for cooking this.  While the pan is still hot, add another 1 tablespoon of oil. Add in the onions and then the frozen vegetables. Cook on high heat for about 1 minute. Stir constantly.

6.  Add in the Kokuho rice and margarine.  Fold in the rice and stir evenly. 

7. Add in the soy sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes. Then add in the salt, sugar, and black pepper mixture. Stir evenly and cook for another minute.

8. Mix in the scallion and cook for about 30 seconds. This is the time to add the fried eggs back in. I forgot so I just top it on the dish after I transferred it onto a plate.

Serve as a side dish or as a meal. Enjoy! 

Note: I bought a fancy pair of toddler training chopsticks that costs five dollars but it kept falling apart. Then the other day, a waitress at a Japanese restaurant showed us how to make training chopsticks with just a piece of rolled up paper and a rubber band.  It was easy to make and stays intact. My foodie’s chopstick skill has improved so much.