Egg-Fried Vegetable Rice

Egg-fried rice is the dish where leftover rice goes to prove itself. Fresh rice steams; day-old rice fries. The starch on the outside of each grain dries out overnight, and that dried surface is what allows the rice to take on the lacquered finish and slight chew that turns a side into a meal.

The rule is therefore: never make this with rice you just cooked. Cook it the night before, spread it on a tray, refrigerate uncovered. Or buy a pouch of microwave rice and tip it into the fridge for an hour before using — same effect, faster. Hot freshly-steamed rice will steam in the pan and turn to mush.

The technique is wok-style stir-frying: very high heat, fast movement, ingredients added in stages. Eggs first (scrambled and pushed aside), vegetables next (carrots, red cabbage, mangetout — anything crunchy), rice last with the soy sauce. Total cook time is 8 minutes once the pan is hot.

The photo shows a black bowl of the finished rice: yellow-fleshed grains visible, orange carrot ribbons twisted through, purple red cabbage, green pea pods, scrambled egg in bright yellow chunks. Eat immediately — fried rice goes stiff as it cools.