One of my favorite and most versatile market meals is stir fry! With so many fresh options to choose from at the winter market, I can always make something a little different. One style I was turned onto while living in Hawaii was kim chee fried rice. The delicious tang of kim chee pairs well with fresh veggies and eggs. How fortunate for me that our Winter Farmers’ Market has vendors selling kim chee, local oils and eggs of all types. My market meal challenge usually doesn’t leave room for non local foods but I have still had a hard time securing a local rice source. Who knows, maybe next season one of our vendors will have tried growing rice for market, a guy can dream!
4 medium onions
1-2 cloves garlic
3-4 large carrots
1 bunch swiss chard
¾ cup kim chee
4 medium eggs
The key to a successful stir fry is separating the ingredients by cooking time. I like to start by browning the onions and garlic slightly in a little oil over medium heat. Let the flavors start to develop before adding in the carrots. The more consistent you can make the vegetable slices the more evenly you are going to cook everything. The carrots, kim chee, and chard stems go in with the onions after browning and cook over medium for 5-10 minutes or so stirring occasionally. It’s quite convenient that the kim chee is already cut into perfect sized bites. You can cook the veggies a little longer if you prefer but I like them with some nice crunch left.
To get the eggs to cook just right with whole pieces to enjoy mixed throughout, start by making a well in the middle of your pan. With the vegetables to the side add a little but of oil and put your eggs into the center of the pan covering to let steam cook for a minute or two before topping with the greens and covering again to wilt them down a bit. I added a bit of the kim chee juices, sea salt, and ground red pepper at that point. After a few minutes stir it all up and mix in the rice to your liking. I prefer to use a rice cooker, but regardless of stove top or rice cooker I always give my rice a few rinses before cooking.
