Ham Fried Rice

Story:

I love Chinese food. Even when it's not "real" Chinese food... Americanized versions work just fine for me. And the fried kind is especially good!

I found a basic ham fried rice recipe in "The Domestic Diva's Party Cookbook." That's basically what I use, just tweaked a little.

Ingredients:

2 T butter

2 ribs celery, diced

1/2 C chopped onion

1 C frozen peas

2 C diced ham

6 C cooked rice

soy sauce

Directions:

Melt butter in a large frying pan; add celery and onion and cook until tender, but not brown. Add the ham, the rice, and the frozen peas. Stir until blended. Add soy sauce until mixture is a light brown, or to taste. Heat through.

Note:

The original recipe didn't call for the peas; I added those. I've also added shredded carrots before, mostly just for color. I am not real strict with the measurements of anything. I usually add more celery and onions... just 'cause I love 'em.

The recipe also said to use 6 cups of refrigerated cooked rice. I've never done that... so I don't know if that would improve the texture or something... But I just always do some up in my rice cooker and just add it to the skillet when it's ready.