Vegetable Fried Rice

Remove the honey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. In a medium pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, without stirring, 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork.

While the rice cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem; roughly chop the broccoli. Peel the carrots; thinly slice on an angle. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Cut off and discard the stem of the pepper; thinly slice crosswise (for a milder dish, halve the pepper lengthwise, remove and discard the seeds; thinly slice crosswise). Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper.

In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the chopped broccoli; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the sliced carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chopped ginger and sliced white bottoms of the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Transfer to a large bowl; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Wipe out the pan.

While the vegetables cook, in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar and honey (kneading the packet before opening). Stir in the sliced pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the cooked rice in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Turn off the heat; stir in the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and chopped garlic. Transfer to the bowl of cooked vegetables; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the foil to keep warm. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Keeping them separate, crack the eggs into the pan; season with salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Turn off the heat. Serve the fried rice topped with the fried eggs and as much of the sauce as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Garnish with the sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!