Did I mention that I am a little obsessed with the likes of coriander, garlic, ginger and spring onions right now? Yes, thought I had. But there is a good reason for it. Last week I cooked pork belly and, using the leftover meat with these herbs and flavourings I had a quick noodle dish later in the week. Right now I have leftover chicken and I plan to make a simple Thai or Vietnamese soup plus some fried rice with the leftovers. Although that might seem a tad repetitive, last week was probably the first ever that I used up every last perishable in my fridge. All I needed was some rice, noodles, oil and eggs. And when you don’t want to cook, yet need something warming and comforting, there’s not much that beats a big bowl of fried rice. No takeaway menu required.

Fried rice (adapted from several on Food Network UK, including this one by Ching-he Huang)

For two portions you will need:
Cupboard (or things you may already have)
sunflower or groundnut oil, 2 tablespoons
eggs, 2
leftover cooked rice, 300g or so
leftover cooked pork or chicken, 150g
caster sugar, a teaspoon

Shopping list
spring onions, 2
a couple of heads of bok choi or a large handful of broccoli (or whatever crunchy vegetable you have to hand, though not parsnips…)
garlic, 1 or 2 cloves
fresh ginger, a cm’s worth
fish sauce, a splash or two to taste
fresh coriander, a handful

How to
1. Peel and chop the garlic and ginger, trim and chop the spring onions, chop the vegetables and rinse the coriander. Chop the meat into small pieces if necessary.
2. Heat a large frying pan or wok until very hot, then add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the eggs, stir them around in the oil quickly until they cook through (almost like scrambled but not runny) then tip them out of the pan.
3. Put the other tablespoon of oil into the pan, heat it through then add the garlic and ginger. Once they are fragrant and sizzling, add the leftover meat and cook until it’s good and hot (which should only take a couple of minutes depending on the size of the pieces).
4. Add the spring onions and rice, cook through for a couple of minutes then, finally, add the vegetables. Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes then add the scrambled eggs and mix in lightly.
5. Finally, throw in the coriander, season to taste with a pinch of sugar and a splash or two of fish sauce, stir and serve.