Fried rice is in every Chinese housewife’s arsenal.  Growing up, my mother made the dish at least once a week.  It’s a quick, one-pot meal that uses up everything you have left over in the fridge.  The classic ingredients include cooked white rice, onions, vegetables, some sort of meat and eggs.  But my mom has made it with everything from smoked salmon and squid to cashew and  pineapple.

This recipe gives my childhood favorite a whole-grain, vegetarian twist.  I used quinoa instead of rice and baked tofu instead of meat.  Of course, you can add whatever you want.  Just keep in mind the color and texture of your ingredients.  I chose mushroom for its meatiness, asparagus for its crunch and red bell pepper for its sweetness.  I like to season it with just salt and pepper, but you can sprinkle in red pepper flakes for some heat, or douse it with soy sauce and sesame oil for a richer flavor.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a south American grain that has been around for 6,000 years.  It looks like couscous, but with a ring around the grain.  Once cooked, quinoa is light and fluffy and has a nutty taste.  I often use it in place of brown rice.

In it’s natural state, quinoa is coated with a chemical called saponin, which gives the grain a bitter smell and taste.  I read somewhere that a group of scientists tried to eliminate the saponin through selective breeding, but the birds ended up eating all of the modified crop.  Some recipes say to soak quinoa in water for at least two hours to get rid of the bitterness, but I’ve never had to do that.  Most of the store-bought quinoa have already been pre-soaked.  I give it a good rinse under the water in a sieve just to be sure.

This is a good recipe to pack for lunch.  It’s good both warm and at room temperature.  Give it a try and let me know what things you like to put in it.