A frugal main dish

Here, for lady m, is the Vietnam Fried Rice recipe. This recipe comes from the More with Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. I am not sure if this book is in print any longer or not, but for those of you interested in frugality and living more simply, I highly recommend it. Look on Amazon or another site that offers used books and see if you can find a copy. It is simply full of practical and delicious meal ideas, and is likely to become one of your most-used cookbooks. The recipe below was actually submitted by a family living in Vietnam. I will add my modifications in brackets.

VIETNAM FRIED RICE
Cook 1 cup rice (will produce 3 cups cooked rice) or, have ready 3 cups leftover rice.

Heat in a large skillet: 4 Tblsp. cooking oil [I used canola oil and only used 3 T.)

Add: 1/4 to 1/2 lb. any cooked or raw meat, cut into thin strips [I used 2 1/2 leftover boneless pork chops, cut in small cubes]
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tblsp. soy sauce

Stir-fry the above until meat is tender and hot, about 2 minutes for cooked meat. Add the 3 cups cooked rice. Stir-fry for 5 more minutes.

Add 1 cup leftover or frozen vegetables, such as peas, green beans, or carrots [I used green beans, and have even used mixed vegetables]

Stir well into rice-meat mixture. Just before serving, add:

2 eggs, beaten .

Over medium heat, stir carefully through rice mixture until eggs are cooked. Serve piping hot with a simple salad. The contributor suggested leaf lettuce with cucumber, mint and parsley.

Yield: 4 servings