Food Literacy Students
Why Fried Rice?
One of the main issues for college students is not having enough time to eat healthily on
a budget. With this in mind we decided to make a recipe full of vegetables that tastes good, helps students get the nutrients they need, and doesn’t take much time or money. This Budget-Bytes vegetable fried rice recipe is something simple that many students will go out of their way to buy at a restaurant. However, fast food options cost more per serving (ours is only $1.13) and take more time than you would realize, due to driving there and waiting in line.
On the flip side, we were able to get this done in about 30 minutes, even faster than a
takeout delivery! Like we mention in the video linked below, this recipe really isn’t too hard to make. The recipe instructions are straightforward and all it takes is washing and cutting the vegetables, cracking/whisking eggs, heating oil, and sauteeing it all together with rice! We’ll give you more details below 🙂
This recipe can be done even quicker with various strategies like prepping vegetables
beforehand or using pre-minced garlic and ginger paste (or the powdered forms). Another thing that helps is to make the rice ahead of time (the day before) and refrigerate it overnight. Something interesting to note is that leftover/day-old rice is actually better for this recipe than fresh rice because it’s less sticky.
Cost Breakdown
Take a look at the cost breakdown for this meal:
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost of Ingredients in Recipe |
| Garlic | 2 cloves (1 Tbsp. or 0.5 oz) | $0.11 |
| Fresh Ginger | 1 tsp. (0.2 oz) | $0.05 |
| Carrot | 1 each (4 oz) | $0.24 |
| Red Bell Pepper | 1 each (5 oz) | $1.38 |
| Green Onion | 4 each (4 oz) | $0.84 |
| Eggs | 2 each (3.5 oz) | $0.62 |
| Frozen Peas | 1 cup (8 oz) | $0.56 |
| Cooking Oil | 3 Tbsp. (1.5 oz) | $0.11 |
| Rice | 1 cup (8 oz) | $0.24 |
| Soy Sauce | 3 Tbsp. (1.5 oz) | $0.15 |
| Sesame Oil | 1 Tbsp. (0.5 oz) | $0.23 |
| Total Recipe Cost | $4.53 | |
| Cost per Serving (4 servings) | $1.13 |
Preparation Techniques
All the preparation and cooking techniques for this recipe are super simple- great for
college students just getting into cooking. All you’ll need is a knife, cutting board, stovetop or induction burner, a few bowls or plates, and one pan (or wok, if you have one). Once the
vegetables are cut up, the process is pretty quick moving! So go ahead and get in the zone to chop those veggies and get cooking! If you wanted to dirty one less bowl, the rice could be pushed to one side of the pan after toasting with the garlic and ginger and you can scramble the egg on the other side of the pan.
Take it to Another Level
In our kitchen, cooking sustainably and keeping it budget-friendly is important to us!
So here are a handful of possible options to lift some weight o your wallet while still enjoying what you eat:
- Sustainability: Use whatever vegetables you have that may go bad in your fridge! Broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, cabbage, and zucchini would all make a great addition to this simple veggie-lled recipe! You could also add in some leftover chicken, ham, or even lunch meat for some extra protein.
- Easier additions: A frozen stir-fry mix could replace whole, fresh ingredients to make prep easier and cut down the cost even more! If grating ginger is too much of a hassle, feel free to replace the fresh ginger with the powdered form or ginger paste (although it can be quite expensive), the same thing with garlic (possibly a jar of minced garlic).
- Budget-friendly options: As mentioned above, a frozen stir-fry mix would be cheaper than buying individual, fresh vegetables. The SNAC pantry on campus has lots of groceries available to students for free! Rice is a staple in the SNAC pantry and could cut down the cost even more. SNAC also carries a variety of produce, meat, and canned goods that you could substitute to make things even cheaper.
- Tips and tricks: use long grain white rice to avoid clumpy, sticky, fried rice. If you prefer spicy fried rice- feel free to add sriracha, chili powder, or red pepper akes when cooking your vegetables! If you want a lower sodium meal, make sure to use a low sodium soy sauce as well as watch how much salt you add in. The seasonings we used were super flexible, so feel free to measure with your heart, and add in what you like!
Better than Take-out Fried Rice
Description
This recipe turned out SO GOOD! We liked it even more than some of our local
takeout options- and it was even quicker and healthier than its takeout alternatives! The rice wasn’t sticky, the flavors went together really well, and the vegetables were done perfectly.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1. Prepare the vegetables before hand so they’re ready to go when needed. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger, dice the carrot and bell pepper, slice the green onions (separate the green ends from the white ends), and measure the frozen peas.
- 2. Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the eggs and gently scramble until cooked through. Transfer the cooked eggs to a clean bowl or plate.
- 3. There should be a good amount of oil left in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrots and stir and cook for about two minutes. Next add the bell pepper and the white firm ends of the green onions. Cook and stir for one minute more. Finally, add the frozen peas and stir and cook until heated through. Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
- 4. There should be a good amount of oil left in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrots and stir and cook for about two minutes. Next add the bell pepper and the white firm ends of the green onions. Cook and stir for one minute more. Finally, add the frozen peas and stir and cook until heated through. Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
- 5. Pour the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil over the rice. Stir the rice and sauce together until evenly combined. Turn the heat off.
- 6. Add the eggs and vegetables back to the skillet with the rice and stir to combine. Allow the residual heat to heat everything through. Top with the remaining green ends of the sliced green onions. Taste and adjust the soy sauce or sesame oil to your liking.
Video
Notes
- This fried rice is delicious as is, but there are plenty of ways to adapt it and make it your own! Maybe try serving it topped with a fried egg, tofu, or chicken. This rice would be great served alongside dumplings, pot-stickers, egg rolls, wontons, or your favorite steamed veggies!
References: https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetable-not-fried-rice/
