Fried Rice with Bacon and Cabbage

This simple fried rice is as good for breakfast as it is for dinner. Thick-cut bacon will make for meatier, chewy bits.

3 eggs
2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
kosher salt
8 oz thick cut bacon, sliced ¼" thick
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bunches scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 (1”) piece ginger, peeled and minced
1½ cups cabbage, diced
5 cups leftover cooked white rice, cooled
½ bunch cilantro and stems, minced
¾ tsp. sugar
1½ Tbsp. soy sauce

Garnish:
crushed peanuts
cilantro

Whisk eggs with 2 tsp. sesame oil and salt.

Heat a large wok over high. Add the bacon and cook, stirring until crisp, 2-3 minutes. Pour bacon and fat into a sieve, reserving both.

Return the wok to the heat and add 2 Tbsp. bacon fat. Add half of the eggs and cook until lightly set in the center and the edges are bubbling, about 1 minute. Gently slide the egg pancake onto a cutting board and slice into ¼” side strips.

Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp. of bacon fat into the wok along with the garlic, scallions, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, Add the cabbage and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, cilantro stems, and the sugar and cook, breaking up the rice with your spatula, until the rice is warmed through, about 2 minutes.

Make a well in the center of the rice and add the remaining egg. Cook the egg, stirring, until the eggs are cooked and scrambled, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice to combine, along with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce, the minced cilantro, and half the scallion greens. Transfer to a platter and garnish with reserved bacon, the strips of egg, the remaining scallion greens, and the minced cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings.