In Southeast Asia, rice for breakfast is not unusual at all. It can be in the form of congee, rice cake or fried rice. While the West knows fried rice as a dish to accompany meat, seafood and vegetable dishes, fried rice can actually be served as a one-dish meal. 

In this recipe, the ubiquitous meat and shrimps combo is replaced by fresh shiitake mushrooms to create a vegetarian fried rice dish that is just as tasty, aromatic and colorful. And to qualify this dish as vegan, eggs were omitted as well.

If you are used to adding oyster sauce to your fried rice, there is a vegetarian-friendly counterpart that is made with oyster mushrooms rather than real oysters. Vegetarian "oyster" sauce can be found in Asian stores.

See Also

All About Rice: Varieties, Grain Lengths, Characteristics and Colors

How Do I Cook Rice? Let Me Count the Ways.

Put Leftovers to Good Use: Cook Asian-style Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 bird's eye chili, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms (caps only), sliced
• 1/4 cup julienned carrot
• 1/3 cup julienned white cabbage
• 2 cups cold, cooked (never newly cooked) jasmine or other long-grain rice, rubbed to separate the grains
• 1 tablespoon vegetarian "oyster" sauce
• soy sauce, to taste
• a drizzle of sesame seed oil
• toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2

Preparation

1. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or frying pan.
2. Saute the shallots, garlic, ginger and chili.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir fry for a minute. Sprinkle in half of the salt, pepper and sugar.
4. Add the julienned carrot and cabbage. Season with the remaining salt, pepper and sugar. Stir fry until the vegetables are almost done.
5. Dump in the rice. Season with vegetarian "oyster" sauce and about a teaspoonful of soy sauce. Stir fry until heated through. Taste the rice. Add more soy sauce, if needed, and toss a few more times.

1. Off the heat, drizzle in the sesame seed oil and toss to blend.
2. Sprinkle the fried rice with toasted sesame seeds before serving.