Italian Sausage Fried Brown Rice Recipe with Vegan Option | Plus tips on making perfect fried rice
Cook time
Total time
Author: SpicieFoodie.com & Nancy Lopez-McHugh
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, leftovers
Cuisine: Fusion, Asian Inspired
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice cooked according to instructions (I used 2 cups water and cooked mostly covered in low heat.)
- 3 Italian style sausages, casings removed and slice into small even pieces
- 1 small (white) onion, cut into 8ths
- 2-3 serrano peppers, thinly sliced (remove seeds & use less peppers for milder rice)
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- soy sauce (I used 1.5 tbsp adjust to taste)
- oil of choice (sesame or canola may also be used)
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to package instructions. Once cooked allow to cool completely on the counter -- you may want to transfer to a large bowl to aid the cooling process. Next refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours or leave in there until the next day. Do not skip this step! Remember we need the rice to be dry and not sticky so it fries properly.
- Make sure you have all of the vegetables and protein of choice ready to use, this is a quick moving dish. Heat a wok or very large frying pan. Once hot add the oil then the sausage slices, after a few minutes the sausage will begin releasing fat and we will use this to cook the vegetables. After the sausage is cooked through (depends on the thickness of slices so make sure to cut evenly) add the onion and serrano pepper slices and cook until the onion is soft. Next add the carrots, peppers and garlic. Stir often and cook until the vegetables reach your desired tenderness. Remove the sausage and vegetables and set aside.
- Make sure there is enough oil left in the wok/pan to prevent the rice from sticking. If needed add a splash of oil. Place the day-old/refrigerated rice in the pan, turn the heat to hight and cook until the rice has warmed through and fried evenly. Evenly pour the soy sauce over the rice and stir until well combined. Lastly add the cooked sausage and vegetables back to the wok/pan and stir to mix into the rice. Allow to fry a couple of minutes then taste and add more soy sauce if desired. Serve with steamed broccoli on the side, if desired.
Notes
• Instead of leaving the sausage in pieces you make chop it up to resemble ground meat. Honestly, I think the look is more appetising when the sausage is left in pieces, your choice though!
• You can add or replace the vegetables in this recipe with ones like broccoli or cauliflower florets. Experiment with the veggies for different flavours.
• Vegan option: To make this recipe vegan friendly replace the sausage with any of the following proteins: mushrooms, smoked or regular (firm) tofu, seitan, textured soy, broccoli or other vegetables with high sources of protein.
•For a vegetarian version use eggs: lightly beat 3-4 eggs and add them to the wok after the rice has fried and before adding back the cooked vegetables.
• You can add or replace the vegetables in this recipe with ones like broccoli or cauliflower florets. Experiment with the veggies for different flavours.
• Vegan option: To make this recipe vegan friendly replace the sausage with any of the following proteins: mushrooms, smoked or regular (firm) tofu, seitan, textured soy, broccoli or other vegetables with high sources of protein.
•For a vegetarian version use eggs: lightly beat 3-4 eggs and add them to the wok after the rice has fried and before adding back the cooked vegetables.
Recipe by Spicie Foodie ™ at https://www.spiciefoodie.com/2014/07/29/italian-sausage-fried-brown-rice-recipe-with-vegan-option-plus-tips-on-making-perfect-fried-rice/