A traditional Chinese dish, with a Grandma Nancy twist. Fried rice brimming with crispy bacon, crunchy vegetables, aromatic onion and garlic makes this home-cooked recipe so good, you’ll skip the takeout line. My Grandma Nancy used to make homemade Chinese food when we gathered together to ring in the New Year. As such, making homemade Chinese food has become an oft-practiced tradition in my home on New Year’s Eve. Therefore, I wanted to share this delicious, yet simple, recipe from my mom and Grandma Nancy’s cookbook with all of you.
Met My Old Lover at the Grocery Store
One of my all-time favorite, albeit, perhaps untraditional Christmas / New Year’s songs is: “Same Old Lang Syne,” by Dan Fogelberg. This song is at the top of my Kitchen Playlist: Christmas Edition.
Dan Fogelberg is famous for his eloquence in songwriting, and this song is no exception. This song perfectly captures that feeling of nostalgia, with just the echo of heartache that seems to accompany it, longing for days gone by.
According to Dan’s website, “Same Old Lang Syne,” is an autobiographical tune. It was written after he ran into his high school girlfriend while he was visiting family in Illinois. The pair dated in high school, but attended separate colleges. After college, his old flame married and moved to Chicago; while Dan pursued his music career in Colorado. According to Dan’s high school sweetheart, many years later, they were both back in their hometown; and each was sent to obtain various items at the local convenience store on Christmas Eve (it was the only place that was open that day). Just as the lyrics claim, they bought a six-pack of beer and sat in her car for hours, talking, drinking, and toasting to old times.
We Drank a Toast to Innocence…
“… We drank a toast to now. And tried to reach beyond the emptiness,
But neither one knew how.
We drank a toast to innocence,
We drank a toast to time. Reliving in our eloquence,
Another auld lang syne.”
Same Old Lang Syne, Song by Dan Fogelberg
Bacon Fried Rice Ingredients:
- 2 bags ready-to-cook Minute Rice (white or brown: your preference)
- 8 strips of bacon, chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
- 1-2 c. fresh/frozen vegetables of your choice; including but not limited to: green beans, peas, carrots, and/or corn
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or more, according to taste)
- Pepper, to taste
Bacon Fried Rice Instructions:
- To achieve best results, boil and drain the rice according to package directions and refrigerate ahead of time. You can refrigerate overnight, or at least 1 hour before preparing.
- Cook the chopped bacon in a large non-stick skillet or pot with a lid. (I prefer to use a pot with deep sides, as it will make it easier to stir and toss the fried rice later.) Fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it begins to crisp.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the chopped onion to the pan. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until onion softens. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the rice to the pot and stir well, tossing the rice so that it is completely coated in the bacon grease, onion, and garlic.
- Crack the egg over the pan and stir in quickly. Continue stirring and cooking until it resembles scrambled egg, well-distributed throughout the rice mixture.
- Next, add the soy sauce, green onion, and pepper. Stir to combine. You can taste the rice mixture at this point, to determine whether/not more soy sauce or pepper is needed.
- Lastly, add the vegetables (fresh/frozen) and cover. For easiness sake, I often just pour in a cup or so of frozen mixed vegetables (if I don’t have any fresh veggies on-hand). I typically turn the stovetop off at this point, but allow the fried rice pan to remain on the hot burner for 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are warm and softened.
Get More Sauced
The salt from the soy sauce and bacon makes this Fried Rice pair beautifully with semi-dry white wines such as Riesling or Chardonnay; or one of my personal favorite red wines: Lambrusco. Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine from the Romagna region of Italy. It can range from sweet to semi-dry, depending on the varietal. Given its sparkling effervescence, Lambrusco is the perfect pairing for any celebration or holiday meal.
Grandma Nancy’s Bacon Fried Rice can serve as a meal in and of itself, but if you’re looking to add to this festive feast, check out my Sauced post for Crispy Chinese Chicken with Orange Sauce below.
