This snow pea fried rice recipe is simply a classic fried rice recipe which swaps fresh snow peas for frozen green peas. Nutritionally, they are the same, but when you have garden fresh snow peas why use frozen?
Snow peas have a tender pod and are often times used in stir fries because they cook quickly. They fit seamlessly into a fried rice recipe as well, perfect for late spring and early summer when snow peas are ripe and bountiful.
The recipe below is written for two servings, but the recipe is easily adapted to the number of servings you need based on this ratio: Use 1 cup rice, 1 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 egg, and 1 cup veggies per serving. Easy-pea-sy.
Tips and Tricks for the Snow Pea Fried Rice recipe:
- Butter or oil? Many restaurants will use butter in their fried rice because it is richer. I often will use oil, usually olive oil, because it is my go-to healthy cooking oil. Either way, the fat helps to add flavor, and prevent the rice from sticking together. Use what works best for you.
- How to cook the snow peas? I cooked my snow peas in the microwave prior to adding to the rice to ensure even cooking. You could steam or blanch them instead, or even just add them raw to the rice and cook in the skillet a little longer until they are tender crisp.
- Opt for no added sugars. Often restaurants will add sugar to fried rice, or a sweetened condiment like oyster sauce. I avoid added sugars, so you won’t see those ingredients here. If you want your fried rice to be sweeter, try sweetening adding sweet corn (fresh or frozen).
- Use cold cooked rice. Cold rice will crisp better in the skillet and will not have the tendency to stick together like hot rice will. Therefore, this recipe is great to meal prep. Cook the rice and chop the veggies on the weekend, then fry the rice and serve on a weeknight.
- Use reduced sodium tamari to make this recipe gluten free.
- The recipe reheats well, so make extras for leftovers! Microwave any leftovers until hot.
Snow Pea Fried Rice
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 TBS butter or oil of choice (I used olive oil)
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ cup sliced carrot
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice (or another long grain rice)
- 1 cup snow peas, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 2 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari (for gluten free)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Optional: hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Scramble the eggs, using about half of the oil or butter for the skillet. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion and carrot in the rest of the butter or oil until the onion is translucent and the carrot is starting to soften. Mix in the garlic and rice. Saute for about 5 minutes to warm the rice through.
- Meanwhile, steam the snow peas on the stove top or in the microwave until tender crisp and bright green, about 1 minute.
- Mix the eggs, snow peas, soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot sauce (if using) into the rice mixture. Saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring well to coat, until the mixture is hot and heated through.
