Hamburger Fried Rice

Today I will be making my recipe for Hamburger Fried Rice. I learned how to make an individual serving of this dish from Sayuri, a Japanese neighbor of mine in Maine. Oh how I miss living in the picturesque Norman Rockwell town of Southwest Harbor. I would go back in a New York minute, but I think the Coast Guard has other plans for us. I so miss the snow. We were so active in the winter, cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating on the frozen ponds, as opposed to here in this Mid-Atlantic climate where it's just cold and rainy. (blah blah blah)Parts of New England are under a blizzard warning today, I hope everyone stays safe.

This recipe serves 6, and you can easily adapt it to however many servings you need.

Hamburger Fried Rice
1 1/2 lbs. hamburger
3 cups uncooked rice (white, jasmine, brown,etc, any kind except Minute Rice)
vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
any other vegetable that floats your boat, mushrooms, celery, etc.
4 eggs beaten
soy sauce (Kikkoman)
salt & pepper

Prepare rice as you normally would to yield 6 cups of cooked rice. I use a rice cooker for foolproof rice. While rice is cooking, brown hamburger in a large skillet, and season with salt & pepper. Remove from skillet, and set aside. In the same skillet, heat 2 TBSP. vegetable oil, and saute your vegetables on med-med high till soft. Here I'm using the traditional onions, carrots, & peas. Remove and set aside. In same skillet add another TBSP or so of vegetable oil again. Add the 4 beaten eggs, and scramble them. I like to make mine in a thin pancake, wait till one side is done, then flip it over. Then cut it in small strips on a cutting board.

Now it's time for assembly. Turn the heat up on your skillet and add a little more oil to the pan. Then I take 1/3 of the cooked rice when the skillet is hot, and start frying the rice. Then add 1/3 of the cooked meat/vegetable mixture and put in with the rice, and stir-fry. Then add salt, pepper, egg, and drizzle with a little soy sauce. Just a little soy sauce at this point, like between 1 or 2 teaspoons, if that. Stir-fry once again, then place in a large serving bowl. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining rice, meat, veggies, and egg. The key here is not too much soy sauce, the seasoning is the salt & pepper, not the soy sauce. This is a meal for a busy day with everyone running in and out with their busy schedules. You can also keep it warm in a crock-pot. Keep the soy sauce out for people, but tell them not too much, it's not needed. I also like it with the hot chili sauce pictured, the one with the rooster.
You can adapt this recipe if you like to substitute chicken or pork, and if you like more eggs.
I always use hamburger, and today is Saturday, which is hamburger day (more on that to follow)
I also served this with an easy salad of romaine lettuce, 2 oranges, sliced, dried cranberries, walnuts and feta cheese. I made a vinaigrette with equal parts ( a TBSP or so) of honey, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar, whisked with a small amount of olive oil.