Who doesn’t love fried rice? Whether being as authentic as possible or putting your own spin on it, the dish is a great way to utilize a variety of ingredients that goes beyond the essentials of rice and egg. Writer Kathy Witt shares a recipe from Elmwood Stock Farm for making your own homemade egg fried rice using delicious and nutritious root vegetables. 

Save this recipe from Elmwood Stock Farm to Pinterest so you can make it often.

Fried rice might not be the first recipe that comes to mind when dishing on root veggies with a farm owner in Central Kentucky – but that’s exactly what Ann Stone wants to talk about, especially when discussing the versatility of root vegetables.  Ann and her husband Mac Stone manage the product marketing, poultry and sheep flocks and the CSA Farm Share at Elmwood Stock Farm. A 550-acre, sixth-generation family farm and Kentucky Proud member located just outside Georgetown, KY, this farming operation offers more than 40 types of produce, plus pasture-raised eggs, chicken, turkey and pork and grass-fed beef and lamb.

Although winter is a time of rest for many farms, Elmwood Stock passes the season in hustle-bustle mode.

“It seems we’re just as busy this time of year as we are in the summer,” said Stone. “There are fewer vegetables growing and animals to care for, but we also have a smaller staff during these cold months.

“We still have vegetables to tend and harvest in the fields and in the high tunnels and greenhouses, as well as animals to feed, customer orders to pack and deliver and general farm maintenance work, plus planning for the start of the spring growing season,” she added. Whew! They are busy.

Which Vegetables Work for Homemade Egg Fried Rice

This is the time of year when root vegetables (all certified organic) take centerstage at the farm, either growing in the field or harvested and in storage – and one of the farm’s favorite recipes for using up all these gorgeous in-season cold-weather goodies, like radishes, turnips and sweet potatoes, is fried rice.

The bounty includes carrots; red, chioggia and golden beets; and fall radishes, including watermelon, black and daikon radishes, plus salad radishes. A selection of turnips includes white, purple top and hakurei salad turnips. There are rutabagas, potatoes and several types of sweet potatoes, including orange sweet potatoes, Japanese white sweet potatoes and fingerling sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes reign as a farm favorite for their flavor and versatility.

“So many of us grew up knowing sweet potatoes as that casserole smothered in marshmallows,” said Stone. “They’re so much better than that!

“Fingerling sweet potatoes are wonderful, tossed whole with olive oil and salt, roasted and eaten as a side dish. Regular-sized sweet potatoes are excellent roasted whole and topped with chili or garlicy greens. We also like to chop and roast them to top a salad, boil and purée them into a creamy soup, or – believe it or not – bake them into brownies or blondies as a way to sneak some vegetables into a dessert.”

That is pretty sneaky, but what a tasty and nutritious way to get your sweet fix.

You can get recipes by subscribing to Elmwood Stock Farm’s weekly enewsletter. Each issue contains recipes that use fresh, seasonal food; info about veggies in season; and scoop about what’s happening on the farm. Sign up with your email address at www.elmwoodstockfarm.com.

Although the farm remains closed to visitors, anyone can come to the on-farm store just east of downtown Georgetown, Monday through Friday, to pick up online orders of organic vegetables, meats, eggs and pantry items. Orders can be placed online at www.elmwoodstockfarm.com. The farm’s online store is updated daily (and sometimes several times each day as the farm harvests and fills orders). Follow the farm on Facebook for updates. For more information, call the farm at 859-621-0755.

Hungry for more? Click for the recipe for a Middle Eastern rice dish, Mujaderra.

Elmwood Stock Farm’s Favorite Fried Rice

This recipe for homemade egg fried rice is adaptable to whatever root vegetables and meats you have on hand. It’s an excellent way to use up roasted vegetable and meat leftovers from a Sunday supper, too. “We especially like using root vegetables in the fried rice, as each has its own flavor that contributes to the dish,” noted Ann.

Ingredients:

3 TBS grass-fed butter or coconut oil, divided
2 eggs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch salad radishes, greens removed, roots chopped small
1 medium daikon radish, chopped small
1/2 bunch hakurei turnips, greens removed, roots chopped small
1 large purple-top turnip, chopped small
2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped small
3 cups day-old cooked rice
2 cups shredded or sliced leftover chicken, steak or pork chops (optional)
1 bunch kale, leaves torn, or 1/2 small Napa cabbage, sliced very thin
3 TBS soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper
Sesame oil for serving
Pea shoots for serving

Method:

In a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat, and pan-scramble the eggs until cooked through. Set eggs aside.
In the same pan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, and add garlic and all vegetables. If vegetables are already cooked, you’re just reheating those and sautéing the garlic.
If all are raw, cook 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size, and stir occasionally until vegetables can be pierced with a fork.
Add rice, optional meat and kale or cabbage, and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Return eggs to the pan and season all with soy sauce, optional fish sauce and black pepper. Adjust seasoning, as needed.
Divide into serving bowls, and top with a drizzle of sesame oil and a bit of pea shoots.

Hungry for more? Here’s a recipe for Mole Rice with Chicken.