My friend Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have coined the term “fried rice template,” but I’m stealing it. We both love making tasty food by combining whatever leftovers we might have with the pantry staples we always have. I had both leftover cooked rice and lima beans, and while I thought about making a classic, Southern-style lima beans and rice dish, I turned instead to the fried rice template. If you don't have lima beans, any bean will work.
For the shopping list
garlic
onion
jalapeño
carrots
thyme
togarashi
Crystal hot sauce
From our shop
From the kitchen
Chef Knife
Cutting Board
Heavy Skillet
Spatula
Always cook more rice that you need so you have leftovers. Other parts of the template include vegetables, either raw or cooked or both, and maybe some protein like meat or eggs. Beans have lots of protein, and the beans-and-rice connection is strong."
I cooked chopped onion, celery, and a jalapeno, a nod to Louisiana’s trinity of aromatic vegetables. I added a carrot, salt, some chopped garlic, and 1 tablespoon thyme to the skillet.
When the vegetables were soft, I added a couple of cups or so of cooked rice (Koda Farms brown for me). I like to actually fry the rice to give some crunch, so I turned up the heat, poured in a little more oil, and let the rice sizzle for a few minutes before using a metal spatula to scrape the skillet and stir. Do this for about 5 minutes, then add a cup or more of cooked lima beans.
Reduce the heat to low and cook until the beans have warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in a teaspoon or so of ponzu sauce; fried rice needs some soy sauce, and the citrus brightens up the flavor.
Garnish with sliced green onion and Shichimi Togarashi.
Serve with Crystal hot sauce and Chili Crunch.