Shrimp Fried Rice with Veggies and Bacon

Quick and easy weeknight meal using...dun-dun-na-doooooon: Leftovers!

Earlier this week we broke down an ordered some takeout Chinese food.  Per usual we were left with a box of rice.  What to do....what to do.... Shrimp Fried Rice with Veggies and Bacon!  Fried rice is great because you can take almost anything that is in your fridge and use it up in this dish.

Here's what we used (feel free to tweak with what you have):
Frozen shrimp, peas, and broccoli
2 carrots, chopped
6 radishes, chopped
1 teaspoon of bacon fat, or 1-2 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1 carton of leftover Chinese food rice
1/4 teaspoon of five spice seasoning
1/2 a teaspoon of sesame oil
1-2 tablespoons of chopped up cooked bacon
1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil



Get out the frozen stuff into and bowl and let thaw some/hang out while you do everything else.

Peel and chop up about 2 carrots.

Smaller pieces.

Get a large pan going on medium-high heat.

I had 1 teaspoon of bacon fat left over from when I made a BLT for lunch the other day, but feel free to use olive oil (if you're not the type to keep flavor packed packed bacon fat in your fridge). 

Add chopped carrots to the pan.

Take the tops and tails off 6 radishes.

Chop'um up.

Throw'um in the pan.  Assault them with salt and pepper.

Mix'um up and let'um cook in all that glorious beautimous bacon fat, or olive oil (cough cough).

Grab about 2 cloves of garlic, smash, peel and dice up.

Add to the pan, along with about a 1/2 cup of chicken stock.

Mix around and let reduce.

Yay! Leftover rice!

Once chicken stock reduces, add rice to the pan.  Start to mix in.

Keep mixin'.

Cook it up; keep mix'in.  Add some more salt and pepper.

Lookin' nice, golden and fried!

Once you get the rice nice and golden, add the bowl of frozen veggies and shrimp to the pan.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of five spice seasoning, salt, pepper, and drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil over.  My husband and I like different sauces with our fried rice, so we added those after plating, but feel free to add some sauce now (soy, teriyaki, plum, oyester, rice wine, etc. etc. etc.).  Continue to mix in pan until everything is cooked through.

Get some fresh basil.

De-stem and slice up.

Big bowl up.

Add crumbled pieces of cooked bacon and chopped basil.

Serving spoons.

Mix and place on plates.  Or bowls.  Or eat directly.

Yum.