Stir Fry with Rice

This favorite creation of mine really isn't a stir fry, and it really isn't fried rice.  But it's tasty!  Basically when I'm feeling like having something light, fresh and tasty, I whip up this dish.  You can use ANY vegetables and protein you'd like.  I've made it with baby corn and sugar snap peas, or fennel and bean sprouts.  It's just about combining flavors that you like.

I will say that I really wanted some vibrant green in the dish, and bought a bag of frozen peas.  I love throwing in frozen peas at the end of a dish like this (or even a soup) because they become bright green and they add a really nice flavor.  And you know, every freakin' time I buy a bag of frozen peas, I always forget to pull them out of the freezer at the end.  Always.  It's inevitable.  I have 2 big bags of frozen peas in my freezer because I keep forgetting they're in there.  My controlling nature doesn't like it when I forget something so simple!!  :)

Despite the lack of peas, the combination of vegetables and chicken was great.  Honestly I had seen the fresh spring onions at Whole Foods the other day, and decided to make something using them, so this dish formed in my mind.  I also found a really nice Thai sweet pepper sauce that added just a touch of heat (small amount of heat for keith) - and still added my favorite Chinese sauce, Sambal (good amount of heat for me).  Here's my take, but mix it up!!

Ingredients
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 spring onions, bulbs chopped & green stems sliced into discs
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 (or so) baby bella (or button) mushrooms, quartered
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut up into bite-size pieces
Thai Jasmine Rice (or your favorite - I made 1 cup dry rice in a rice cooker)
Soy Sauce
Thai Sweet Pepper Sauce
Sambal Oelek (to taste)
Salt & Pepper

Cook your rice however you prefer.  I think the best rice comes out of a rice cooker, and 1 cup dry rice with 2 cups water generally takes 20 - 25 minutes.

In a large pan, heat up the oil over medium-high and throw in the garlic.  Just as it starts to lightly brown, add the carrot, pepper and onion.  Add a pinch of salt and saute for 5-6 minutes until the carrots begin to soften.  Add the chicken and a few splashes of soy sauce.  Stir everything through and cook for another 5 minutes until the chicken starts to cook through.  Add the mushrooms and some Sweet Pepper Sauce, cook until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms begin to soften.

Take a couple of heaping mounds of rice and place them in a large mixing bowl (in my case, I split the entire thing in half for 2 portions).  Pour half the mixture over the rice and add any additional seasoning (salt or soy sauce, pepper and/or Sambal and any additional sweet pepper to taste).  Mix thoroughly with the rice, pour onto a plate and serve.