Lazy egg-fried rice for one: a pouch of rice, two eggs, one burner and 30 cm of counter

Name: Lazy egg-fried rice for one
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil; 2, sliced, whites and greens kept apart spring onions; 1 clove, sliced garlic; 250 g (one pouch, or about 250 g of yesterday's cooked rice) ready-cooked rice; 1 handful (about 80 g) frozen peas, or peas and carrots; 2 eggs; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil (optional), pepper and chilli to taste sesame oil, black pepper, chilli flakes

Soften two sliced spring onions and a clove of garlic in one tablespoon of oil, tip in a 250 g pouch of ready-cooked rice, add a handful of frozen peas, then scramble two eggs in the empty half of the pan and fold everything together with a splash of soy sauce. No pot of rice to cook, no wok, one pan, about 15 minutes. The rice pouch did the hard part yesterday, in a factory.

1 serving · 1 burner · 30 cm of counter · about 15 min

The order: what comes out when

With one free surface you cannot take everything out at once. Each line is one round: out of the fridge or cupboard, onto the board, into the pan, and the counter is free again.

Out: pan, oil, spring onions, garlic, knife, mug → Board: Slice the spring onions, keeping the white ends and the green tops apart, and slice the garlic. The greens go into the mug. → Pan: oil, spring onion whites, garlic → Waits: spring onion greens in the mug on the windowsill (4 min)
Out: rice pouch, spatula → Pan: rice (3 min)
Out: frozen peas → Pan: peas (2 min)
Out: eggs → Pan: eggs (3 min)
Out: soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper → Pan: soy sauce, sesame oil, spring onion greens (1 min)

Ingredients

1 tbsp neutral cooking oil · cupboard
2, sliced, whites and greens kept apart spring onions · fridge
1 clove, sliced garlic · cupboard
250 g (one pouch, or about 250 g of yesterday's cooked rice) ready-cooked rice · cupboard
1 handful (about 80 g) frozen peas, or peas and carrots · freezer
2 eggs · fridge
1 tbsp soy sauce · cupboard
1 tsp sesame oil (optional), pepper and chilli to taste sesame oil, black pepper, chilli flakes · cupboard

Gear

One burner: One hob ring or a plug-in single induction burner. Induction needs a pan with a magnetic base.
One deep pan: About 24-26 cm (10 in) across, so the rice spreads out and fries instead of steaming in a heap, with room to push it aside for the eggs. A wok is nice; it is not required.
One cutting board: About 30 x 20 cm. It holds two spring onions and one garlic clove, then it is done for the night.
One knife, one spatula, one mug: The mug holds the spring onion greens until the very end, so the board can go straight to the sink.

Step by step on a 30 cm counter

Step 1

Take out: pan, oil, spring onions, garlic, knife, mug
On the board: Slice the spring onions, keeping the white ends and the green tops apart, and slice the garlic. The greens go into the mug.
Into the pan: oil, spring onion whites, garlic
Waits: spring onion greens in the mug on the windowsill

Oil into the pan over medium heat while you slice, then the whites and garlic go in and sizzle gently for 2 minutes. The board's shift is over: straight to the sink. Spring onion bag back in the fridge.

Step 2

Take out: rice pouch, spatula
On the board: Nothing to cut. Squeeze and knead the sealed pouch to break up the clumps, tear it open and tip the rice into the pan.
Into the pan: rice

Turn the heat up to medium-high and spread the rice out flat. Squeezing the pouch before opening it is the laziest way to unclump rice ever invented: no microwave, no fork, no sticky fingers. Pouch into the recycling now, before it becomes a counter resident.

Step 3

Take out: frozen peas
On the board: Nothing to cut. A handful of peas straight from the freezer into the pan.
Into the pan: peas

Straight from frozen: they thaw in the hot rice in about 2 minutes. Bag back in the freezer immediately, while you still remember it exists.

Step 4

Take out: eggs
On the board: Nothing to cut. Push the rice to one side of the pan, crack both eggs into the empty half and scramble them there with the spatula.
Into the pan: eggs

Leave the eggs alone for 30 seconds, then scramble until just set and fold them through the rice. Cracking eggs straight into the pan means no bowl to wash, which is the whole point of tonight.

Step 5

Take out: soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper
On the board: Nothing to cut. Off the heat, splash in the soy sauce and the sesame oil, tip in the greens from the mug and toss.
Into the pan: soy sauce, sesame oil, spring onion greens

Pepper and chilli to taste, then eat it from a bowl, or from the pan on a heat-safe board if nobody is watching. One pan, one board, one mug to wash.

Method

Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Slice the spring onions, keeping whites and greens apart, and slice the garlic.
Fry the spring onion whites and garlic for 2 minutes, until soft but not brown.
Break up the rice in the sealed pouch, add it to the pan, turn the heat to medium-high and fry for 3 minutes, spreading it out.
Add the frozen peas and fry for 2 minutes.
Push the rice to one side, crack the eggs into the empty half, scramble until just set and fold through the rice.
Take off the heat, add the soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onion greens, and season with pepper and chilli flakes.

Tips

Check the pouch first: most ready-cooked rice pouches can go straight into a hot pan. Whatever the rice, fry it until it is steaming hot all the way through.
Yesterday's rice works too, and fries better than fresh: cool leftover rice quickly, keep it covered in the fridge, use it within a day and reheat it only once.
Whatever is in the fridge: half a pepper or a few mushrooms, diced, go in with the spring onion whites at step 1 and need 2 extra minutes. A handful of cooked chicken or tofu goes in with the peas at step 3.
Rice sticking? Leave it alone for a minute so it can crisp and let go, then scrape and turn it. That crispy bit is a feature.
Soy sauce is salty, so taste before adding any salt. Most nights you will not need any.

Setting up the burner, pan and board in a rental? Read the one-burner dinner setup guide. Short on cupboard space too? Read small kitchen storage without drilling.

The gear on Amazon

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Single induction burner

Duxtop 9600LS portable induction burner

One plug-in induction burner, up to 1800 W on a standard 120 V / 15 A outlet, 20 power and 20 temperature levels, child lock. Needs pans with a magnetic base at least 5 in across.

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Deep pan with lid

SENSARTE deep non-stick skillet with lid

10 in (25 cm) pan, 2.7 in (7 cm) deep, 3.5 qt, glass lid, induction base. Choose the 10 in size on the listing for one burner and one serving.

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Over-sink cutting board

Dexas over-the-sink cutting board with colander

11.5 x 20 in (29 x 51 cm) board that bridges the sink, with a collapsible 2.5 qt colander underneath and non-slip edges.

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Small prep bowls

HillSpring glass prep bowl set, 3 sizes

12 small clear glass bowls (1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 oz) that stack: the wait spot for sliced garlic, grated cheese or spices.

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Why these and what to measure: the small kitchen gear guide.

The order: what comes out when

Ingredients

Gear

Step by step on a 30 cm counter

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Method

Tips

The gear on Amazon

Duxtop 9600LS portable induction burner

SENSARTE deep non-stick skillet with lid

Dexas over-the-sink cutting board with colander

HillSpring glass prep bowl set, 3 sizes

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