Leftover rice is ideal to create a new dish. Think of cooked rice as a blank canvas upon which you can paint almost anything. You can turn this into salt fish fried rice, green onion fried rice, egg fried rice or vegetable fried rice using one or a combination of vegetables. In this case one vegetable was used.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 3 – 4 rashers of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 heads Pak-Choy, chopped fine
• ¼ cup sliced green onions (scallions)
• white and green parts

Directions

1. Spread bacon in a single layer in a cold pan and place on medium heat and let cook until it has rendered its fat. Drain bacon on kitchen paper and set aside
2. Reduce heat and cook eggs. Chop eggs into small pieces and set aside
3. Add oil to pan if necessary and raise heat to medium. When oil is hot again add ginger, garlic and pepper and fry for 1 minute
4. Add rice and toss to mix and heat through
5. Add spice powder along with salt to taste and Pak Choy and toss a couple of times or until Pak Choy turns a bright green
6. Add bacon and eggs, give a final toss; remove from heat and serve hot garnished with green onions

Cynthia Nelson is the author and photographer of the best selling and award-winning Tastes Like Home – My Caribbean Cookbook. She teaches Broadcast Journalism and blogs at www.tasteslikehome.org

Write to her at: cynthia@tasteslikehome.org