I am a big fan of egg-fried rice. I often make it as a snack when I get home after a long day’s work. It is a very simple dish to make. I eat it with some stir-fried vegetables and some chicken or beef. I really enjoy making and eating Chinese-style comfort food at home.
We are very lucky to have such great suppliers in Ireland, and in these strange times I still try to support the producers who supply the kitchen at the Oak Room as much as I can.
Even at home I source meat from Hannan’s, pork from Gubbeen, and flour from Ballymore Organic to make my sourdough bread, as well as amazing pollock and brill from CS Fish and cured wild boar from Ballinwillin Farm to eat as a snack during the day.
Mike Tweedie is head chef at The Oak Room at Adare Manor in Co Limerick
Spicy crispy chicken fried rice
Serves four
Ingredients
For the chicken:
3 or 4 skinless chicken breasts, sliced in small strips
150g plain flour
50g cornflour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp chilli powder or curry powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
250ml buttermilk
1 garlic clove
For the egg-fried rice:
400g cooked and cooled long grain rice (If I don't have leftover rice, I use a pouch of microwaveable rice, straight from the bag)
1 red pepper, diced
1 green courgette, diced
1 red or white onion, diced
1 small red chilli, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed into a paste
50g frozen peas
50g tinned sweetcorn
2 spring onion
4 eggs
Dark soy sauce, to taste
Coriander, chopped (optional)
Method
1. For the chicken, mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. Cover the cut up chicken in buttermilk with a clove of crushed garlic. Leave to soak for one hour, then dip the chicken into the seasoned flour and shallow fry or deep fry till crispy and cooked through. Lightly season with salt.
3. Leave the chicken in a very low oven (90 degrees) to keep warm while you make the fried rice.
4. To make the rice: Whisk up the eggs, soy and scallions and set aside.
5. Slowly fry the onion, pepper, garlic and chilli. Once cooked, add the courgette and sweat them till soft.
6. Add the cooked rice to the pan. Stir it in and make sure it is completely warmed through. Add the peas and sweetcorn. Add the egg mixture, while stirring vigorously so it coats the rice grains. Cook until the eggs are just cooked. Finish by adding chopped coriander and serve in a bowl with the crispy chicken.
Kitchen Cabinet is a series of recipes from chefs who are members of Euro-toques Ireland who have come together during the coronavirus outbreak to share some of the easy, tasty things that they like to cook and eat at home #ChefsAtHome
