Growing up in a small town meant that on every birthday, Desiree Nielsen (best selling author of Eat More Plants) would have a special dinner from the local Chinese-Canadian restaurant, Polly’s Cafe. Her love of fried rice started there, but the origins of the dish can be traced back thousands of years to Yangzhou, China. Her hearty and healthy version is loaded with vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, spinach and snap peas, and smoked tofu. She keeps the seasoning light so as not to overshadow the rice itself.
Nielsen says: “This dish comes together quickly, which means you’ll want absolutely everything prepped and at the ready so you can throw all the ingredients in at once as you stir-fry.”
Pro Tip
Cooking brown rice can take up to an hour, so if you don’t already have some cooked rice on hand, you can use this time to get your other mise-en-place together. Or, if you simply don’t have that kind of time, go ahead and grab a microwaveable brown rice packet from the grocery store. We won’t tell.
Some more helpful tips for fried brown rice dishes
- How to cook brown rice. To cook brown rice, use a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio. Bring water to a boil, add rinsed rice, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 40–45 minutes until tender. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- What is tamari? Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce made from fermented soybeans. Unlike traditional soy sauce, it’s typically gluten-free and has a richer, smoother umami flavour. Tamari is perfect for stir-frys, sushi, marinades, and dipping sauces, offering a deeper taste than regular soy sauce.
- What is tempeh? Tempeh is a fermented soy product from Indonesia, made by culturing whole soybeans into a firm, cake-like form. It has a nutty, earthy flavour and is high in protein, probiotics and fibre. Unlike tofu, tempeh has a firmer texture and is great for grilling, stir-frying, or crumbling into dishes as a plant-based protein alternative.
Fried Rice With Shiitake Mushrooms and Smoked Tofu
Equipment
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- small mixing bowl
- large non-stick skillet
- medium pot with lid
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp chili-bean paste or gluten-free
- chili-garlic hot sauce
- 2 tbsp avocado or refined coconut oil divided
- 225 g shiitake mushrooms sliced and long
- stems chopped
- 170 g pkg smoked tofu or tempeh diced
- 1 tbsp minced peeled ginger
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 225 g snap peas cut diagonally into 1/2-in
- 1-cm pieces
- 4 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 small bunch green onions thinly sliced
- salt and white pepper
- 3 cups cooked long-grain brown rice
Instructions
- In small bowl, stir together sesame oil, tamari and chili-bean paste. Set aside.
- In large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add tofu, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add snap peas, spinach and green onions and cook, stirring frequently, until spinach wilts and snap peas look glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Transfer to medium bowl.
- Heat the same skillet over medium heat without wiping; add the remaining 1 tbsp avocado oil and rice and cook, stirring, until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt to taste.
- Return reserved veggies to skillet along with sesame oil mixture and stir through. Divide among bowls.
Recipes excerpted from Plant Magic by Desiree Nielsen. Adapted for ELLE Gourmet. Copyright © 2024 Desiree Nielsen. Photography and illustrations by Gabriel Cabrera. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
