Thai Fried Rice with Maggi Eggs and Baby Bok Choy (leftover takeout)

A visit from the in laws left us with a bag of greasy takeout Chinese: General Tso's chicken, wonton soup, and a quart of rice. It all looked dreadful the next morning. The chicken was terminal. Takeout General Tso's is a delicious heart-attack-in-a-bowl the day it's made, but let's be serious. It consists of balls of coating fried in peanut oil with an occasional Campbell's Chicken Soup-sized piece of meat stuck in the middle. No one should attempt to resurrect that.

The wonton soup was not great to begin with. The wontons were thick and rubbery and they absorbed most of the broth. So we chopped the wontons fine, added ginger, garlic, star anise, vegetables, and some extra water, and stewed the lot for about 20 minutes. It was somewhat edible—but far from transcendent.

The rice was left, and that was admittedly easy.


Fried Rice with Maggi Eggs and Baby Bok Choy

2 cups leftover rice
3 eggs
1 large onion sliced very thin
2 stalks celery, peeled and cubed
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (ginger keeps forever in your fridge in a ziplock bag)
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp sweet Madras curry powder (found at any Indian grocery for about 1/16th what you'll pay at Whole Foods)
Maggi seasoning (a wheat germ derivative that's usually hiding in the condiment aisle of any supermarket. Delicious with eggs.)
Soy sauce
Cornstarch
oil

The fried rice

1. Pour the rice in a large bowl and break it apart in your hands until no lumps remain
2. Crack the eggs in a bowl and add 2 tbsp Maggi, scramble to combine.
3. Add oil to a hot pan, and then add the eggs.
4. Either scramble the eggs, or make an omelet.
5. When they are done, break them up in the pan and transfer to the bowl you scrambled them in.
6. Clean the pan, and now stir fry the onion, celery and sugar for about 3-4 minutes until just beginning to brown. Cooking times will vary depending on your stove.
7. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir fry for about 1 minute.
8. Add the curry powder and toss to combine.
9. Add a small amount of additional oil.
10. Then add the rice and carefully combine everything. Your rice should be nicely yellow and fragrant.
11. Add Maggi and soy sauce to taste. We prefer about a tbsp of both.
12. Remove to the bowl that you broke up the rice in. Add the eggs and toss to combine.

The Bok Choy (this is optional)

10-15 baby bok choy
Soy sauce
Stock
Cornstarch
2 tsp ginger, chopped
1 tsp garlic, chopped
Water

1. Combine about 2 tbsp of soy sauce with ¼ cup of water or stock. Taste and season.
2. Mix 2 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water, stir to combine.
3. Cut the bok choy in three sections: leaves, stems, and the hard bottom.
4. In a hot pan, stir fry the hard bottoms of the bok choy for 1-2 minutes until they begin to become tender.
5. Add the garlic, ginger, and stems.
6. Stir fry about 30 seconds, then add the leaves, and stir fry for 15 seconds. All pieces should be nearly cooked through.
7. Add soy sauce and stock mixture, bring to a boil
8. Slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture until you reach the desired consistency.
9. Remove to a cool bowl.
10. Serve over fried rice.