Vegetable & Freekeh “Fried Rice”

Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the freekeh and cook, uncovered, 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel the carrots; thinly slice on an angle. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the gai lan stems; thinly slice the stems and roughly chop the leaves, keeping them separate. Combine the sliced carrots and sliced gai lan stems in a bowl. Thinly slice the scallions, separating the white bottoms and hollow green tops. Cut off and discard the stems of the peppers; remove the cores, then thinly slice into rings. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Combine in a bowl; add the sliced white bottoms of the scallions and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl; season with salt and pepper and beat until smooth. Roughly chop the peanuts. 

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the prepared carrots and gai lan stems; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly softened. Add the prepared pepper-aromatics mixture; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chopped gai lan leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until wilted. Using a spoon, move the vegetables to one side of the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the other side, then add the beaten eggs. Cook, constantly stirring the eggs, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until cooked through. Stir the vegetables and eggs to thoroughly combine. Transfer to a large bowl. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Cover with foil to keep warm. Wipe out the pan. 

In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the cooked freekeh in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Turn off the heat; stir in the soy sauce and vinegar. Transfer to the bowl of cooked vegetables and eggs; stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished freekeh topped with the chopped peanuts, sliced green tops of the scallions, and furikake. Enjoy!