Why am I waiting until the last day of the month? Two reasons - the first being that it's a very tidy way to wrap things up. I like tidiness...and closure.
So, please come back for that and we'll raise our glasses to an awesome month of bacon goodness.
But today, it's all about this fried rice. Fried rice is such a simple thing at first glance. But upon further inspection, it's kind of magnificent. At least I think it is. Now, I've been craving fried rice ever since mi amiga Leslie shared her bacon fried rice for she made, ella hace last week. When I get a craving that intense, it won't go away until I've appeased it.
The funny thing about me and fried rice is that I consider it a breakfast food. It might be the eggs (scrambled in or served over the top). I think it is. I suppose there are a few instances where I wouldn't consider it breakfast, like when there's chicken or shrimp in it. But I usually find myself eating versions like Duck Bacon Fried Rice, Kimchi Fried Rice, or Garlicky Fried Rice. Any of those are a fantastic way to start the day.
My Bacon, Broccoli, and Garlic Fried Rice is also a fantastic way to start the day. Strewn through with bacon, broccoli, and a good punch of garlic and then topped with a runny egg, how could one argue? I also added an extra flavorful hit of garlic with one of my favorite condiments, Garlic Goodness Hot Sauce from Intensity Academy. If you're a garlic-lover and haven't tried this stuff yet, get on that!
Bacon, Broccoli, and Garlic Fried Rice
Transform leftover rice into a meal by stir-frying it up with some bacon, some broccoli, and paper-thin slices of garlic. Top it with a runny fried egg if you want something truly magical.
by
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: stir-fry breakfast entree side nut-free dairy-free bacon broccoli garlic rice
Ingredients (serves 2-4)
- 8 ounces bacon, cut in strips crosswise
- 4 ounces broccoli florets (trimmed very small), parcooked until barely tender
- 1 medium shallot, sliced paper thin
- 2 fat cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
- big pinch crushed red chiles
- 16 ounces cooked rice
- 1-2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Goodness Hot Sauce (optional, but recommended)
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
- 2-4 fried eggs, if you like (I do)
Instructions
Cook the bacon over medium-low heat in a wok until done, 10-12 minutes. Lift out to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the wok.
Add the broccoli and shallot to the pan, stir-frying for 2-3 minutes, until just tender. Add the garlic and crushed red chiles, and stir-fry 1 minute longer. If the pan seems dry, add 1 more tablespoon of bacon grease, then ross in the rice and cook, stirring, until it starts to turn golden in spots. Stir in soy sauce and Garlic Goodness, if using. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste (be sure to taste first - both bacon and soy sauce add salt, so you may need little to none). Stir in the reserved bacon and half of the basil.
Serve hot with 1 or 2 fried eggs and remaining fresh basil over each serving.
If you like, you can substite olive oil in place of the bacon grease.
This post is part of Bacon Month 2014! As part of the month-long bacon fun, we will be giving away one different bacon-centric cookbook per week during the month of August. You can enter the current giveaway at the bottom of this post. You can see all of the books we're giving away this month, see a list of participating bloggers, and also enter whichever giveaway is currently running by clicking over to my Bacon Month Announcement post at any time.
Keep up with the bacon goodness by following Bacon Month with the #baconmonth and #putsomepiginit hashtags, and find even more bacon recipes and inspiration on our I Heart Bacon Pinterest board! Plus, you'll find a running tab of this month's bacon posts from every participant at the end of every bacon month post!