If you’re a fan of fried rice you’ll like this recipe for Crispy Mushroom Fried Rice. It’s packed with vegetables, tons of umami flavor, and is gluten-free and vegan!
I call this Crispy Mushroom Fried Rice, but there are also some delicious veggies in there in addition to the mushrooms. Scallion, garlic, swiss chard and asparagus round out the dish and give you an extra serving or two of vegetables.
The types of veggies you can use in fried rice are endless and I like to keep it seasonal (hence this spring time-ish recipe with asparagus). More on the veg variations in a minute.
What you’ll need for Crispy Mushroom Fried Rice…
For this recipe you’ll need a few pantry staples and some fresh ingredients:
- cooked rice
- avocado oil
- fresh garlic
- scallion
- asparagus
- mushrooms
- swiss chard
- toasted cashews
Optional ingredient: tamari or soy sauce, or coconut aminos for soy-free to add a more Asian flavor profile.
If you have no dietary allergies, tamari or soy sauce is fine. If you need to avoid gluten, go with gluten-free soy or gluten-free tamari. And if you avoid soy altogether go with coconut aminos, which is a great soy substitute.
Either way, I suggest going with the low-sodium version of soy or tamari, since they are high in sodium. But again, it’s optional, the rice is delish even without it!
If you don’t have avocado oil you can use another neutral high-heat. I personally don’t use olive oil for cooking (just for raw purposes), as it can become carcinogenic when heated above a certain temperature.
Make it seasonal…
For the vegetables you can use your favorite ones and/or keep it seasonal. Think broccoli in the winter, asparagus in the spring and zucchini in the summer.
Just keep in mind that different vegetables vary in the time they take to cook. So always start with the thicker/larger veggies first (broccoli), and the more delicate ones at the end (spinach).
- broccoli
- bok choy
- zucchini
- eggplant
- green beans
- cherry tomatoes
- kale
- spinach
- mixed mushrooms
- snap peas
- snow peas
- bell peppers
Or any other veggies you love!
I like to use short-grain brown rice in this dish
For the rice…
If you are making rice from scratch for this recipe, start with about 1 cup raw to end up with about 2 cups cooked.
I prefer short-grain brown rice here (for a firmer texture) and I always rinse my rice in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking
Brown rice typically takes about 45 minutes to cook, but follow the package instructions. And be sure to cook your rice with a generous pinch of salt.
I recommend using day-old rice (so that it gets crispy). If the rice is too fresh/moist, it won’t crisp up as nicely! So make your rice a day ahead if you can, or spread it out onto a sheet pan to dry out a little while before making fried rice.
The steps…
Once you have your veggies chopped and rice made, this recipe comes together in a flash.
- cook your veg
- add your rice
- combine all and top with cashews
The key is to be patient as the mushrooms and rice cook to allow each of them to get crispy. How? Let them sit undisturbed for a little bit while cooking in the pan. i.e. don’t move them around too much!
TIP: if your pan starts to dry out in between the cooking stages, add a splash of soy sauce, coconut aminos (for soy-free), or even plain water.
Whatever combo of rice or veggies you use in Crispy Mushroom Fried Rice, I hope this dish becomes a favorite of yours like it is mine!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more recipes and cooking tips. And feel free to drop a comment below if you try this recipe.
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| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 cups cooked brown rice see blog post for tips/notes
- 4 teaspoons avocado oil *divided
- 3 each scallions sliced
- 3 each cloves garlic
- 1 cup chopped asparagus
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms I like to quarter or slice mine
- 2 cups chopped greens, such as chard or kale
- 1/4 cup toasted cashews
Ingredients
|
|
- heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, when hot add 2 teaspoons of the oil and cook scallions and garlic until softened, about 2 - 3 minutes
- add asparagus to pan and cook until crisp tender, about 3 - 4 minutes if thick spears, then push all veggies to side of pan
- increase heat to medium-high and add mushrooms to pan (without crowding) and allow them to cook undisturbed until golden brown, about 3 - 4 minutes
- add chard or kale to pan and cook until just wilted; season all veggies with salt & pepper or a splash of soy sauce and remove from pan to a plate and keep warm
- heat remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the same pan and add rice, allowing rice to cook mostly undisturbed until crispy, about 5 minutes (stir a few times during that time as needed, we’re going for crispy not burned!)
- return cooked veggies to pan with rice and combine all, then top with toasted cashews to serve
Recipe serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com