Takeout-style dinner eaten with a fork on a metal bench
Cold rice from the fridge is the whole trick. Rice cooked that afternoon steams in the pan and turns to mush, and rice from last night's takeout container fries up separate and toasty.
Nine minutes in a hot skillet: egg first, out of the pan, then rice, then vegetables, then the egg back in with soy sauce and a splash of sesame oil at the end.
One thing to be strict about. Cooked rice is on the short list of foods that need to stay properly hot or properly cold, so this goes into a jar that got its boiling water and stays shut until 7:15, or it does not go.
Ingredients
The recipe fills 4 thermoses. Plan on about 20 minutes.
- 4 cups cold cooked rice, preferably day-old
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 2 cups cooked chicken or ham, diced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 green onions, sliced
How to Make It
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble until just set, then scoop them out.
- Add the remaining oil and the frozen peas and carrots and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cold rice and press it into the pan, letting it crisp for a minute before stirring.
- Stir in the chicken or ham, the soy sauce, and the sesame oil and toss until everything is hot, about 3 minutes.
- Fold the eggs back in along with the green onions and toss once more.
Pack It Hot Safely
Rice needs careful handling. Pack it fully heated in a warm thermos, then follow current food-safety guidance for holding and serving.
- Fill the thermos with boiling water and let it sit 5 minutes, then empty it right before packing
- Spoon the fried rice into the warmed thermos while fully heated
- Check current USDA food-safety guidance before relying on a thermos for a long hold
Pack the Sides Separately
Crunchy extras lose their snap in the steamy jar, so send them on the side.
- Pack orange segments or a few crunchy snap peas in a separate box
- Tape a fork to the lid for easy eating at the field
- Send extra soy sauce in a tiny container for anyone who wants more
- Serve with: orange segments, snap peas
Parent Tip
Cold day-old rice fries up firm and separate; fresh rice turns mushy in the pan.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Cooked shrimp, folded in last
Add it in the final thirty seconds so it does not turn rubbery in the jar.
Two extra eggs, no meat
Double the egg and the frozen vegetables and the jar still eats like a full dinner.
Diced pineapple
A half cup gives sweet pops that kids pick out first and ask for again.
Yesterday's takeout rice
The white rice container nobody finished is the best possible starting point here.
Reduced-sodium soy sauce
The regular kind gets salty in a sealed jar over three hours, so use less.
Food-Safety Source
Use current food-safety guidance for the food, container, temperature, and wait time in front of you.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: How Temperatures Affect Food
Plan the next step
Plan the away-from-home nights
Use the planner to figure out which nights are thermos nights and which can wait for the stove.