A delicious food holiday celebrated on September 20th each year.
National Fried Rice Day Origins
In 2018, the renowned Japanese restaurant chain Benihana partnered with the National Day Calendar to create the National Fried Rice Day holiday. This flavorful holiday was founded to spotlight the culinary importance of high-quality rice and encourage people to enjoy their favorite versions of fried rice.
I have seen many versions of recipes for fried rice. It is a popular and tasty way to use up leftovers, especially turkey, chicken and pork. Most of these recipes appear to include peas & carrots, but my preferred version instead includes onions and/or scallions and mushrooms. The scrambled eggs are one of my favorite ingredients. Therefore, I usually add an extra egg for LOTS of egg in every bite. I’ve often made fried rice with leftover roast turkey or rotisserie chicken, but my most favorite is Shrimp Fried Rice.
Personal Fried Rice Story
As a newlywed, I was not a very good cook, as you can see by some of my earliest cooking disasters in my story ‘Potholder Soup’. Actually, if truth be told, I couldn’t cook at all.
It took a long time, but I finally learned to cook. Luckily, my hubby was a good cook, so he didn't starve while I learned. (LOL)
During those first couple of years, my parents used to come visit about twice a year (especially after their very first grandchild was born). Each visit, my dad (the cook in our family during my growing up years) would give me a cooking lesson of one of my favorite childhood dishes. One trip, the lesson was how to prepare ‘fried rice’ since we had leftover turkey from a roast turkey meal.
First, you have to understand that my dad had a fantastic sense of humor, so you never knew what he was going to come up with. On this particular evening, as we began to gather the ingredients for our fried rice dish, dad announced that the time it takes for food preparation of any recipe can be measured by beer! It is either a 1-beer, 2-beer, or 3-beer job. I like beer, just like my dad, but my limit is usually one; maybe sometimes two. We enjoyed cooking the meal together, completed the recipe, and the family enjoyed a delicious fried rice meal.
Now it’s about five years later. My parents were coming for a visit, and I wanted to make something comforting yet practical—chicken fried rice. It’s one of those dishes that can be made ahead of time and still taste great no matter when they arrive.
At dinnertime, I served the chicken fried rice. As we were eating, my mom asked “how much soy sauce did you use in this dish of fried rice?”
Me: “Soy Sauce?” “Soy Sauce?”
Do you believe that my original cooking lesson of fried rice became a 3-beer job? And that the soy sauce was the last ingredient to be added? Well ~ I admit I have absolutely no memory of the soy sauce ingredient! For five years I made meals of fried rice - with NO soy sauce. Hubby used to add it to his portion, but never once asked me why I didn’t use it in the recipe. I think he thought I didn’t like soy sauce, so never mentioned it.
Needless to say, I now know ALL the ingredients for my fried rice recipes. :)
So, for National Fried Rice Day, or any day you are in the mood for fried rice, pick your favorite recipe (or look online for a new one), and enjoy this tasty Asian dish. Don’t forget the soy sauce!
Related Links:
*National Fried Rice Day review written by Wednesday Elf
Helpful Kitchen Aids for Cooking Fried Rice
We love fried rice dishes too! A great way to use up everything in the fridge, leftover meats and veggies and ours never come out the same twice. So it's a new experience every time! Thanks Pat for giving me a little laugh while you were busy learning to cook!
ReplyDeleteI agree it is a good way (and a tasty way) to use up leftover meats and veggies, Olivia. Glad you enjoy fried rice as much as I do.
DeleteWould you believe I have never cooked fried rice and wouldn't begin to know where to start! I do eat it in restaurants, but never learned how to cook it at home. Oh, and I don't own a wok either :)
ReplyDeleteI used to have a wok - only me to cook for these days, so no longer need one. They are handy for all sorts of dishes, though. Thanks for your visit to my food holiday review, Mouse.
DeleteI just love fried rice. I'm with Cynthia, as much cooking as I do I have never made fried rice. Now, I will have to try it. Thanks for the story it made my day :)
ReplyDeleteHa, ha. Glad you enjoyed my bad cooking experience, Sam. Let me know how your fried rice comes out when you try it. Don't forget the soy sauce. LOL.
DeleteYour story about learning to cook “3-beer” fried rice and being too sozzled to remember the soy sauce for years afterward is hilarious, Elf! So glad you shared it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret. Glad you enjoyed my cooking disaster story. I made a lot of other mistakes learning to cook, but only the fried rice mistake was due to too much beer. Ha, ha. And THAT was my dad's fault. He should have realized I couldn't hold my beer! LOL.
DeleteThere are times when beer (or wine) just make cooking more fun, and interesting - the "soy" sauce missing, I would never have noticed either!
ReplyDelete