Leftover Ham Fried Rice
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This leftover ham fried rice is savoury, slightly sweet and packed with flavour from a simple Chinese-inspired sauce. It’s quick, flexible and perfect for using up Christmas leftovers utilising kitchen staples like frozen vegetables and eggs. Note - ingredients can be approximate.
Equipment
Ingredients
Fried Rice
- 3 cups cooked long-grain rice, cooked your way or follow my directions for how to cook rice. Cooled (See Note 1)
- 2 teaspoon high-heat oil, sesame oil recommended, or sub for avocado or vegetable
- 1 brown onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) ham, I use leftover Christmas ham
- 1 cup diced vegetables, see note 2
- 4 eggs
Fried Rice Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, subs note 3
- 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce, subs note 4
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce, all purpose or light
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sweet chilli, optional
Instructions
Prepare
- If using fresh rice, spread it on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to remove excess moisture. Ideally, use day-old rice, as chilling overnight helps keep the grains firm and separate for stir-frying.
- Mix together sauce ingredients: 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine 1 tbsp Oyster sauce 2 tbsp Soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp Sweet chilli
- Mince: 3 cloves garlic.
- Dice: 1 brown onion 200 g (1 ½ cups) ham
- Beat: 4 eggs
- Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, add 2 teaspoon high-heat oil, and heat until it just starts smoking.
Cook
- Add garlic and onion to the wok, stirring constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the ham and cook, stirring frequently, until the heated and slightly charred. Keep everything moving to ensure even cooking.
- Add 1 cup diced vegetables (frozen is fine) and half the sauce. Stir to coat.
- Add the 3 cups cooked long-grain rice and spread out on the pan. Leave for 2 minutes (this will give it a char and slight crunch).
- Push everything to one side of the pan. If dry, add a little sesame oil. Pour in the beaten eggs and let it sit for 30 seconds, then gently scramble until fully set (about 2 minutes). Once cooked, mix the egg back into the fried rice.
- Give everything a final stir. Taste and add more sauce if needed. Serve hot, garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, or a squeeze of lime for extra freshness. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Note 1 - Rice
Leftover rice, cooled, long-grain rice is best used for Fried Rice. Freshly cooked rice will be too wet and sticky. Once rice is cooked and placed in the fridge to cool, the rice dries out so the Fried Rice will have the right texture. If you aren't prepared the day before, once you make your rice, layer it flat on a baking sheet and refrigerate for as long as you can.
If you're short on time, you could use packet microwave rice that's been cooled in the fridge. It isn't exactly the same, but is excellent for a single serve Fried Rice.
Note 2 - Mixed Vegetables
I use a basic bag of mixed frozen vegetables which include cubes of carrot, corn and peas. It makes this dish super easy and really affordable. You can do this with fresh vegetables and any mixture of your choosing.
Note 3 - Chinese cooking wine
Substitutions - mirin, vinegar (white, white wine, apple cider).
Note 4 - Oyster sauce
Oyster sauce is like 12 sauces in one and highly recommended for depth of flavour. If you don't have it, substitute with fish sauce, or soy sauce.
Storing
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating
If you have access to a pan or skillet when you are re-heating your fried rice, I would recommend doing it on high heat (similar to how you prepared it in the beginning). This should take about 5 minutes with constant moving.
Freezing
You can freeze the fried rice for up to 3-6 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 689kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 32gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 260mgSodium: 1455mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4322IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 3mg
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